Complicated Love
by Smallbell
Summary: P4 Kanji is making Naoto a Christmas gift. But he doesn't know if he is ready to let her know about how he feels. He is also scared about what she will think of his hobby. Meanwhile Naoto is starting to wonder about if she wants to dress more like a girl. Kanji X Naoto
1. Chapter 1

Disclamer: I don't own Persona 4 or any of the characters. Bla bla bla…

Complicated Love

Chapter 1

The steady hum of the sewing machine was mostly drowned out by the hard beat and shouting of Kanji's favorite rock band. He knew that most people wouldn't be able to understand his varied interests. But he didn't care; the people that knew him best had already seen him at his worst. He fought with them side by side, saving people he hardly knew. That created a bond that was hard to deny.

Kanji turns off the sewing machine and clips the last few threads hanging from the miniature pink dress he had just made. He dresses a small stuffed rabbit and puts a pink bonnet on it. He nods, satisfied. Nanako would like it. She is due to get out of the hospital soon, and Christmas is coming up. He sets the finished rabbit aside and looks over to his work-in-progress pile. A small teddy bear sit on top of some navy blue fabric. He still needs to make the coat and hat for the bear. He knows how he'd do it. He can see in his mind where the seams would go and what buttons to use, but every time he picks up the navy blue fabric he would get nervous and set it aside again.

_Does Naoto even like stuffed animals?_ He wonders. Most girls like cute things. But then again, Naoto isn't like most girls. In fact she had passed as a boy for who knows how long, before the truth had come out. But Kanji just can't put aside the idea that he should make her a Christmas gift.

Kanji sighs and picks up his own jacket. He turns off this music as he leaves the room. As Kanji thumps down the stairs his mother calls.

"Hun, where are you off to?!"

"Out."

With that said, Kanji practically slams the door in his rush to get away. He heads down the street, not caring where he ends up. Why did Naoto have to make things so complicated for him? He was always able to push back that part of himself that he didn't want to admit was real, until he met her. _I'm not gay! I just like to sew!_ He'd tell himself. But no matter how many times he told himself that it was always a nagging worry in the back of his mind. Then when he met Naoto, he was attracted to her from the get go, even though she pretended to be a boy. That just turned Kanji's head upside-down. His head still ran around in circles. _But she is a girl, so it is ok… I'm not gay. But do I only still like her, cuz I thought she was a guy to start with…_

Kanji ran his fingers through his hair and let out a frustrated growl. _I've got to get my mind on something else! I know! I'll go to Junes, an argument with Yosuke or Teddie always gets my mind on something else. Hell, just watching Chie and Yosuke argue is always good for a laugh._

Kanji wonders around the Junes food court without catching sight of any of his friends. He's just about to head out when he hears a familiar voice.

"Come get your coupons for a buy one get one free on instant ramen!"

A grin spreads across Kanji's face as he caught sight of Teddie in his bear outfit. _I wonder if I sneak up behind him, if I can pet his fur. _Kanji thought. Just as he was about to execute his plan he hears a voice calling him from behind.  
"Kanji-kun!"

Kanji turns just as Rise bounces over to where he is standing. Kanji shoves his fists into his pockets and watches as the other girls come over to where he is standing. All of the girls: Chie, Yukiko, and Naoto.

"Hey." Kanji manages to say.

"What are you shopping for?" Rise asks.

"Nothin', just walking around. You?"

Rise bounces. "We're going to try on some outfits."

"I thought we were getting more ingredients for baking?" Naoto says, in her monotone voice.

"No reason we can't have a little fun while we're here. It's always fun to try on clothes, especially ones you'd never wear in public. Just to see how you'd look in them." Rise says, getting more excited as she talks.

"That sounds completely irrelevant."

"So… uh… what ya bakin'?" Kanji asks, running his fingers though the back of his hair.

"We decided to make a cake for Nanako's welcome home party." Chie says.

"But we thought it would be a good idea to make a practice cake first." Yukiko adds. "It's a good thing we did too."

Kanji laughs despite himself. "Were their any casualties? Have to call poison control?"

All the girls look at the floor. Chie is the first to get her composer back. "That doesn't matter! The cake will be wonderful for Nana-chan's party!"

Kanji couldn't keep the grin from his face. "Need my help?"

"Yes," Naoto says, weakly.

"No." Yukiko says firmly. "We want to make it ourselves. It is our gift to Nana-chan. Thank you for offering to help Kanji-kun, but no thank you."

Kanji shrugs.

"Well come on ladies! Let's go try on some clothes." Rise says, while grabbing Naoto's arm and starting to drag her towards the clothing section.

"I really don't think that would be the best use of our time." Naoto protests.

"Come on!" Rise complains. "You've got to learn how to relax sometimes Nao-chan."

Chie and Yukiko give Kanji small waves before fallowing Rise and Naoto. Kanji watches the retreating forms of the girls as his mind starts to wonder. _What kind of clothes did Rise say they were going to try on? _Kanji asks himself. An image of Naoto in a dress forms in Kanji's mind, and with a shake of his head Kanji dismisses it.

"Maybe Junes wasn't such a good idea." Kanji says, as he heads for the exit.

Kanji shakes off the snow from his coat as he walks into his house. "Ma! I'm home."

"Are you hungry?" His mother asks, stepping into the entryway.

"Yeah. Ain't I always?"

She smiles, "Dinner is almost ready. Wash up."

Kanji sighs, and heads to the sink. After he scrubs his hands he sets plates on the small table. His mother sets a dish of beef and tofu in the middle of the table and heads back into the kitchen for the rice. Kanji starts dishing up food right away, not waiting for his mother.

"Really Kanji-kun, would it kill you to wait for your mother." She asks, as she sets the rice down.

Kanji shrugs off the comment and dishes up the rice. "Itadakimasu.*" Kanji mumbles before he dives into his food.

"You know I ran into that sweet Kujikawa girl at the Tofu Shop today. She really is a cute girl. She's your friend isn't she?"

"Yeah… I guess."

"I've seen you two walking to school together sometimes."

"Naw, Ma, it ain't nothin'. Rise, just don't like walkin' to school alone. She don't want to get bothered by annoying fans. She's a usin' me as a bodyguard."

"Well even if it is nothing, I think it is sweet of you."

Kanji shrugs and continues to pay attention to his food.

"Do you like her?"

"Ma!? I said it was nothin'. Sides, she talks too much, and she flirts with Senpai every chance she gets. She's a kinda annoying really…"

Kanji's mother reaches her hand over and pats her son's arm. "Sorry, if I'm being too nosy, but I just wonder what you're up to these days. I've noticed that you've been working on some kind of stuffed animals lately."

"I'm makin' one for Senpai's younger sis. She's going to get out of the hospital soon."

"Oh that is so thoughtful of you!"

"Ah ma…. It's nothin' she's a cute kid. It's sad all the bad stuffs that happened to her."

She smiles, and continues to eat her dinner, at a much slower rate than Kanji. Soon Kanji's plate is empty and he stands up, to take it to the sink. "I'll be in my room." He says, as he heads up.

Tatsumi-san's eyes fallow Kanji and she listens to him thumping up the stairs. Soon his music starts up again. She sighs and walks over to a small shrine in the corner of the living room. She lights a stick of incense and sets it next to a small picture of Kanji's father.

"Oh my dear husband, I don't know if I've done right by that boy since you've gone. I miss you so much. You were always the one that Kanji talked to. He's gotten a several new friends lately, but I can tell that something is still bothering him. He is always holding himself aloof from the other kids his age. My son is hurting, and I don't know what to do. Oh please, give me guidance."

With a small bow Tatsumi-san ends her prayer and starts to work on cleaning up the dishes.

_I've died and gone to Hell. _Naoto thought as Rise pushed yet another dress into Naoto's hands. "I really don't see a point to this."

Rise sighs, "The point is to have fun. You're not the only one who'll be trying on clothes. In fact I have to find something cute for Chie."

With that said Rise bounces off. Naoto glares at the pile of clothes in her arms and throws the whole batch into the bin for returns next to the fitting rooms. She then steps over to where Chie and Yukiko are looking at hair pins and accessories, figuring that would be safer.

"Naoto, what do you think of this?" Chie asks, indicating the fake flower that is pinned over one of her ears.

"It is simple, yet feminine."

"Thanks… I like it. It's not too girly and it's cute. Maybe I'll wear it for new years."

"Hey Naoto, do you ever do anything with your hair?" Yukiko asks.

"No, not really."

"Try this." Yukiko says, pulling off Naoto's hat and puts a headband in its place.

Yukiko holds up a small mirror and Naoto stands transfixed by her reflection. The headband is dark blue with a small bow to one side. It isn't overly girly, or frilly, yet it transforms Naoto from looking like a boy into a girl. _Who would have thought such a slight change could make such the difference_. Naoto thought.

"Do you like it?" Yukiko asks.

"Uh…oh yeah… I think I do."

"You know, you can be feminine with out all the frills, lace and makeup that Rise does. Sometimes subtle is better."

"Yeah… I think I can see that now."

"Good." Yukiko says with a grin. "You only have to take it one step at a time."

"Hey Chie!" Rise calls.

Naoto pulls off the headband and puts her hat back on, just as Rise bounds over.

"I've found the cutest outfit for you. And Yukiko I think it would be fun if you'd try on this." Rise says, handing both girls a small pile of clothes.

The girls sigh and take the clothes into the fitting rooms. Naoto hides the headband behind her back and starts to slowly step away from Rise. "I think I'll get a cart, and the baking supplies we need." Naoto says, heading off before Rise can find more clothes for her to try on.

Once Naoto is out of the clothing department she slows down to a walk and looks at the headband. She runs her fingers along the smooth satin fabric covering the hard frame. _One step at a time. I can do that._ She thinks, as she sets it into the cart and heads for the grocery department.

*- Itadakimasu – is a small prayer all Japanese say before eating a meal. Literally it means 'I humbly partake.'

-the shrine- in Japanese households it is common to have a small shrine to a lost family member. Buddhists believe that their ancestors watch over them and protect them. They will burn incense and set out water and rice every day next to the picture of the deceased family member and give prayers.


	2. Chapter 2

Complicated Love

Chapter 2

Kanji flops down on his bed and turns up his music. He grabs a random magazine off the stack. He opens the craft magazine to a random page and finds himself looking at the directions on how to make small stuffed animals. He throws it across the room and reaches for one of his music magazines.

_Stupid Naoto making life complicated_. Kanji thinks. _Being all calm, and strong, and irresistible…_ Kanji stops that train of thought before it got out of hand. What he needs is for his hands to be doing something. Kanji sighs and finds a piece of paper and a pencil. He then spends the rest of the evening and into the night working on the design for the clothes of Naoto's bear.

Kanji wipes the droll from the side of his face as he wakes up. He stretches and tries to work the knots out of his back. He glances at the clock. 6 am. He stands up from where he fell asleep at the desk and flops onto his bed. He tries not to think of the dream he was having, where Naoto was dressed in an apron and baking him a cake. Kanji blushes as he remembers that in the dream Naoto was ONLY wearing the apron. Kanji rolls onto his back and puts a pillow over his face, and attempts again to calm his lust.

_I gotta think of something else!_ Kanji practically screams at himself. _I know that pathetic excuse for a man Adachi! Oh how I loved beating the living day lights out of that creep. Everything was his fault! He put us through so much pain and misery for freakin' nothing!_

Kanji sits up in bed, practically bouncing, slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand. Kanji sighs…. Now he is so worked up he wants to go beat up something, or someone. This would never do. He's still tired, having slept badly at his desk. Kanji once again flops down on the bed and tries to think of something calming. The river, just flowing across the rocks with the fish swimming under the surface. The sun beating down warming Kanji's back. Kanji drifts back off into dreamland.

Kanji's bare feet are dangling in the cool water of the river. The sun has come out from behind the clouds and is making the river sparkle like a million diamonds. Kanji takes off his jacket and shirt and throws them under a nearby tree. He then proceeds to roll up his pant legs. The cold water runs over his legs, relaxing his muscles and soon making them numb. Standing a few feet from the bank Kanji looks around him at the shimmering water.

As he looks down river he happens to see a figure on the bank, sunbathing. Her ivory skin contrasts her navy blue bikini perfectly. Her straw sun hat has a matching ribbon tied around it. Kanji finds himself drawn closer to her. He can now see her short dark hair framing the petite face of Naoto. As she looks up at Kanji her cheeks start to glow rosy and a smile creeps across her face. She beckons Kanji closer and pats the earth next to her.

Kanji climbs out of the water and sits on the grass, his eyes taking in every inch of Naoto's beautiful body. She reaches over and with one finger starts to outline the muscles of Kanji's bare chest. Where her finger touch a trail of invisible fire fallows, igniting Kanji's already awakened desire. Kanji runs his hand along Naoto's outstretched arm to her shoulder, and up her neck to caress her face. Naoto leans forward, pressing her palm over Kanji's rapidly beating heart. As their lips meet fireworks dance across Kanji's vision. His lips mold themselves to hers, dancing. As Kanji opens his mouth Naoto responds and opens hers enough to let Kanji's tongue inside. Kanji pulls Naoto closer and enfolds her into his warm arms.

Kanji's eyes slowly open to the blank wall of his bedroom. The smile drops from his face and he releases the pillow he was clutching. With a heavy sigh Kanji looks over to the clock. 9 am. He swings his legs over the side of the bed, only to realize that his pants are wet.

"Damn." Kanji curses. "A wet dream isn't how I wanted to start my morning!"

Kanji grabs some clean clothes out of his dresser drawer and steps across the hall for a shower.

Naoto sighs, as she and the other girls sit in Chie's kitchen waiting to see if their cake turns out edible. Yukiko is peeking in the oven yet again, just to make sure they don't burn it.

"I think we did a really good job this time." Yukiko says, closing the oven.

"Yea!" Chie agrees. "The batter tasted fine. And we fallowed the recipe to the letter, no substituting or trying to figure out what they meant."

"Now all we have to do is make sure it doesn't burn." Rise says, with a firm nod.

"It had better turn out, since the party is tonight." Naoto says, letting her chin fall into her hands. "Any idea of what we're doing for frosting?"

The other girls look at Naoto with shocked faces. "Frosting!" They shriek.

"Oh no!" Cries Yukiko. "We forgot all about the frosting. Anyone have a clue on how to make it?"

All the girls shake their heads and Naoto once again reaches across the table for the cookbook. "Cream cheese frosting, butter cream frosting, chocolate frosting…. How many different kinds are there?" Naoto cries.

"We better find a basic one." Chie points out.

Naoto nods and keeps turning pages. "Here we are: Basic Vanilla Frosting. Huh? What's confectioner's sugar?"

Rise pulls the cookbook away from Naoto and looks at the page. "That's weird. I didn't know there are different kinds of sugar."

Chie leans over Rise's shoulder to look at the book. "Do you suppose we could just use normal sugar and it'll turn out ok?"

"I don't think so," Yukiko says. "Otherwise they would have just said sugar."

"But sugar is sugar right?"

Naoto sighs and pulls out her phone. _We need help_. She thinks. _Kanji offered to help us yesterday. Would he know? No harm in asking. _Naoto flips open her phone and dials Kanji's number. After several rings Kanji answers the phone.

"Uh…. Hi."

"Hello. Kanji I have a question I was hoping you'd have an answer to."

"Uh. Wh…what kind of question?"

"It involves the cake for Nanako. Since you volunteered to help yesterday I figured you knew something about baking."

"OH! Yeah. Go ahead. Shoot."

"We wanted to know the difference between normal sugar and confectioner's sugar."

"Well… um… how do I explain this…. Confectioner's sugar is all…. Fluffy. They sometimes call it powdered sugar."

"Oh I see. So it will make a difference in frosting if we use normal sugar instead, right?"

"Uh…. Right… normal sugar…would umm… well…. It would make the frosting all…. Runny and slimy like."

"Thank you. You're a big help."

"No problem…. Anytime. You…you can call me anytime."

"Alright thanks again. I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah…uh to...tonight."

Naoto put her phone back into her pocket and looked over to where the other girls were still debating the frosting recipe. "Hey girls! After we pull the cake out of the oven, I think we need to go back to the store again to get confectioner's sugar."

Kanji sat staring at the phone in his hand. Naoto had hung up a while ago, but he couldn't seem to be able to put his phone away. _She wanted my advice._ He couldn't help but think. _She called me, not Senpai, not her grandpa, me!_ A grin spread across his face as he realized that Naoto valued his advice.

Kanji's eyes drifted over to his sewing machine and the naked bear that he had made for Naoto. _I'll finish it tonight if it kills me!_ Kanji vowed, as he went over to his work table and turned on his sewing machine.

Kanji threw yet another failed attempt at making Naoto's hat into the wastebasket. Every time he tried it came out looking wrong, or the sewing machine would just destroy the small pieces of fabric that he was trying to put together.

A small knock from his door made Kanji turn his head. He mother was leaning up against the frame to his doorway. "Hey son, are you having trouble?"

"Yeah." Kanji admits. "I just can't seam to get this hat to work."

Tasumi-san walks into her son's room and finds the drawing of the hat that Kanji is trying to make. "How small are you trying to make this?" She asks.

Kanji pulls one of the failed attempts out of the wastebasket. "It's supposed to be kinda like this. But I can't seem to get it right."

"Well dear, with as small as you want to make this, I think your best bet is to do it by hand. It will turn out much better that way."

Kanji nods. "Yeah makes sense. Thanks ma."

"No problem, dear." She says, patting her son on the shoulder. "But shouldn't you be leaving. You have a party to get to."

Kanji looks up at the clock. "Oh shit! I wanted to finish this today."

"You could work on it some more after the party."

"I suppose."

"Go on sweetie. Have fun with your friends. It's Christmas. You can always give the bear as a New Years gift."

Kanji nods and grabs his coat and Nanako's bunny on his way out. "See ya ma!" Kanji says, as he heads out into the cold.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclamer: I don't own Persona 4 or any of the characters, blaa blaaa blaaa

Complicated Love Chapter 3

By the time Kanji arrives at the Dojima home most everyone is already there. The only ones missing are Yosuke and Teddie. "Hey Guys!" Kanji calls, as he takes off his shoes by the door. "Where's Yosuke and Teddie?"

"They should be here soon." Shoji says.

"So how did the cake turn out?" Kanji asks the girls.

"I think it went well. We just need to put the last few finishing touches on." Yukiko says. But as Kanji tries to take a look around her to the counter she steps in front of him. "No! You can't see it yet. It's not ready."

"Alright," Kanji says, shrugging and heading in to sit down by the small table warming himself with the new kotashu.

He watches as Yukiko and Rise seam to be hovering over the cake sitting on the counter, with Chie trying to give tips from over their shoulders. Naoto is standing nearby with her arms folded across her chest, seaming to supervise their work. Shoji is digging cups out of the cupboard and trying to put some tea on at the same time.

Kanji looks up as Dojima comes in from the other room carrying Nanako. She waves to every one as her father sits her down in her usual spot at the small table. "Hi Kanji." She says,

"Hey kid! It is good to see you up and about."

"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better."

"The party has arrived!" Teddie announces from the doorway as Shoji lets him in.

"Yea! Teddie!" Nanako squeals, as Teddie comes over to give the little girl and hug and sit next to her. Soon to be fallowed by the rest of the guys.

"Look Teddie, it's the Kotatsu Big Bro got. It's so warm!"

"So this is the fabled Kotatsu."

Nanako nods "I was really looking forward to the new Kotatsu."

"Yeah, You talked about it all the time at the hospital." Dojima says from the couch. "Nanako is going back for a close check up tomorrow, but at this rate, the doctors say she can leave the hospital soon."

"If I'd gotten better sooner, we would've been able to buy the kotatsu together…. Sorry"

"Don't worry about it." Shoji says,

"Ok. Next time, let's go together."

"Sorry for the wait." Chie calls from the kitchen.

"Oh no… The Christmas edition of Mystery Food X is about to be served…."Yosuke says, looking ill.

Kanji just grins. "Bring it on. I'm ready. Got my insurance card and everything."

The girls bring in a massive cake with fruit decorating the top and set it down in the middle of the table. "Taaa daaa!" Yukiko cuts pieces for everyone and passes them around.

"It's a cake!" Nanako says, practically jumping out of her seat.

"Hey, this is bigger than I imagined….." Dojima comments.

Kanji pokes at his piece. It looks eatable, but with the girls you never know. He looks over to Nanako who is about to take a bite. "Wait Nanako-chan! I'll be the first one to-" Too late! She took a large bite. "Noooooo!"

"It's delicious!" Nanako exclaims, taking another bite. "It tastes really good."

Yosuke looks at Nanako shocked. "Th- that can't be. No…. Has she lost all sense of taste?"

Kanji takes a large mouthful, _I'm not afraid of anything_, he thinks. The cake is fluffy, soft and sweet, just as cake should be. He looks around, everyone seems to have gathered the courage to eat some cake.

"Did you guys really make this?" Yosuke asks.

"Huh, o-of course we did." Chie says.

"Does it actually taste like something..?" Yuki asks.

"It's not hot, is it? How is it Kanji? Hm?"

Kanji looks up from his almost empty plate. "It- It's amazing." He says, through a large mouthful of cake.

"You know what they say about true talent not needing to show off? Turns out we had good taste in cooking after all." Chie brags.

"Then again, this one was our third attempt….." Naoto notes under her breath.

"Hey Yosuke! Chie-chan and the others really are talented chefs! Three stars for sure!" Teddie declares.

"Iiimpossible… this actually tastes good!" Yosuke stammers. "Wait, I didn't already pass out did I? This isn't a dream right?"

The girls all laugh, while Kanji helps himself to another piece of cake. He looks up from his plate just as Teddie cries out "Taddaa! A Christmas present for you!" Holding a stuffed animal that looks remarkably like Teddie when he is in his bear outfit.

"Oh! It looks just like you." Nanako says, holding the stuffed bear.

Kanji swallows hard and his mind wanders to the bunny he made for Nanako that's stuffed into his jacket pocket. Nanako seams thrilled by the bear, what would she think of his gift? He truly hoped that she likes it. _I guess a kid can never have too many stuffed animals._ Kanji thinks, putting his hand in his pocket to rub the soft fur of the bunny.

Kanji's eyes make their way over to Naoto, who is sitting across from him. _I wonder how she will react to the gift I have planed for her. _He can't help but wonder. _Will she think I'm weird and creepy like Rise did when she found out about the stuffed animals?_ He could deal with Rise thinking he was a weirdo, but if Naoto though that…. _Maybe I should re-think my gift to Naoto?_ Kanji wonders as Dojima talks about the upcomming trial for Adachi.

Kanji pulls himself back to the present in time to hear Chie say "That's right…. You're only here until spring, huh?"

"Senpai?" Rise says in alarm. "You're going back?"

"It won't be the same without you." Naoto says.

"Sensei… Are you going somewhere?" Teddie asks, confused.

"I don't want to go." Shoji says.

"Well, Senpai we don't want you to go either!" Kanji declares.

"C'mon, spring's a long ways off, right?" Yosuke points out. "Let's have all the fun we can until then!"

"H-Hey don't get too carried away. My sis would kill me if you got yourself held back a year….." Dojima says.

Yosuke's eyes light up and a mischievous grin spreads across his face. "Oh, but then you wouldn't have to go back, huh?"

"Wow, if that happened, I'd be in the same grade as Senpai." Rise says, practically bouncing.

"Call me Senpai anyways…." Shoji tells her.

Everyone giggles. "But all joking aside we'll just have to make the most of the time I have here."

"Yeah," Yosuke says, "Besides it not like you're not going to visit."

"I declare we must now play a game!" Teddie yells.

"What should we play?" Yukiko asks, looking around.

"How about spin the bottle?" Teddie says, winking at Rise.

"NO WAY!" All the girls yell at once.

"What's spin the bottle?" Nanako-chan asks.

"Oh it's nothing." Shoji says.

"Yeah," says Rise, "it's just a stupid game guys like to play in order for girls to kiss them."

"Eewww. Kissing is gross!" Nanako says, sticking out her tounge.

"I totally agree with you." Chie says firmly.

"How about Uno?" Dojima suggests. "I think I know where the cards are."

"Yes!" Nanako says. proactallly bouncing. "I love that game."

"Alright." Dojima says, getting up."I'll go find the cards."

"We should clear off the table then." Yukiko says, as she grabs some plates.

Most the girls pitch in and take the dirty dishes and the leftovers of the cake to the kitchen. Teddie fallows offering to lick the plates clean of their frosting. The only ones left around the table are Nanako, Senpai, Yosuke, Naoto and Kanji. Kanji looks around._ I guess now is as good a time as any,_ he thinks. He takes a deep beath and reaches into his jacket. "Nanako, I umm... have a christmas gift for you as well."

"Really!" Her eyes alight at the idea of more gifts.

Kanji pulls out the bunny in the pink flowered dress with a matching bonnet and a basket full of flowers and sets it on the table in front of Nanako. "I hope you like it."

Nanako squeels with delight. "She is beautiful!"

Shoji, recignizing Kanji's handy work gives him a firm nod and a thumbs up. The girls have all come back over to see what all the excitment is all about. They are clustered around Nanako and are looking at her new toy.

"It's so cute!" Yukiko says.

"Yeah, I've seen these in your family's store lately." Chie remarks. "They are really good."

"Thanks," Kanji says with a slight blush.

"They look great," Rise says "But I still think it is weird you make them."

Naoto lifts her head up from where she was looking at the doll. "Really?" She says, a look of surprise on her face.

"What? Is there something wrong with me sewing?"

"No that's not what I ment." Rise and Naoto try to say.

"Aw to Hell with it." Kanji says, heading for the back door. "I'm going to get some air on the porch."

"But it is cold!" Nanako says.

"Good"

After Kanji leaves Rise looks around. "What did I say?"

Shoji waves at her to calm down. "You just hit a nerve. It has something to do with his shadow."

"You know it is so unfair that the rest of you got to see everyone's shadow. Naoto and I missed everything." Rise says, pouting.

"Hey," Yosuke says. "I like to keep my inner thoughts private thank you. Remember we went into the TV to save you. Otherwise we wouldn't have seen what we did."

"I think I'll go talk to Kanji." Shoji says, standing up.

Kanji looks up as Shoji comes though the door, then looks back at the ground. Shoji sits down next to him and lets his feet hang off the porch. After a while Kanji speaks up, "Sorry Senpai. I didn't mean to lose it back there."

"It's ok."

"It's just that... ya know I don't care what most people think of me. If they don't understand to Hell with them. But... Naoto, I care what she thinks. I guess I didn't like the idea that she might agree with Rise."

"Kanji, we've been though a lot together and we will always be friends. All of us. But have you thought of explaining things to Naoto, telling her about your other self."

"Are you crazy?"

"Honestly is the best policy when you want to get to know someone better."

Kanji pulls out the baddly made hat for Naoto's bear and runs in though his hands. "I don't know."

Shoji pats Kanji on the back as he stands up. "I'm going inside. Want to join us?"

Kanji shrugs, and follows Shoji in. Everyone is laughing around the table as they put down various colored cards. Even Naoto has a small smile. Yukiko is the first to notice that Shoji has come back in. "Shall we deal you in?" She asks.

"Sure!" Shoji says as he and Kanji sit back down.

Author's notes: Sorry it took so long to get out. I kinda forgot about this fanfic. But it was good to start it up again. Thank you Lady Quotes for reminding me I still had this fic out there and need to finish it. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. And for any of you who don't know already a Persona 4 anime is being made and shown on Hulu. Go see it! It is great! Though I think they didn't do Kanji's shadow very well, but the series is good.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclamer: I don't own persona 4 and blaaa blaaa blaaa

Chapter 4

Nanako had been taken up to bed by her father and the rest of the group started to pick up the house. Yukiko looked at her watch. "Oh no! I need to get back home or my mom will kill me."

Chie and Rise also noticed the time. "me too." They said in unison.

"Though I hate to leave you with a mess," Yukiko says, looking around Shoji's house.

"It's not that bad. You three go on. I don't want to get you in trouble."

"I'll stay and help clean up." Kanji offers.

"Me too," Naoto says.

Kanji looks over at Naoto, and a blush spreads over his face. He quickly looks down and starts gathering up the pieces to their last game.

Yosuke looks over at Kanji and a slight grin spreads over his face. "Well it looks like you've got things covered here. Teddie and I will see ya tomorrow."

They put their shoes back on and head out into the cold, with friendly waves and 'goodbyes'. Kanji is picking up plates and trash, trying not to look at Naoto, who is close by doing the same thing.

"I need to run to the rest room," Shoji says. "I'll be right back." Kanji looks up at Shoji in alarm, as he walks out of the room. Kanji glances over at Naoto, then quickly back at the pile of dishes that he is gathering up.

"You know," Naoto starts to say. "I'm usually very good at figuring people out."

"Really?" Kanji says as he clears his throat.

"But you've managed to surprise me, Kanji."

Kanji raises his head with a bit of color across his face. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Naoto says, shaking her head."Just different."

"So do you... that is... you don't think... it's weird, do you?" His gaze locked on Naoto's back as she pulls out the liner of the trash can.

Naoto sets the bag of trash down and ties the edges into a knot."Not really, now that I think it over, it makes sense with the business your family runs. You probably grew up around fabric and sewing, so it is almost natural."

"So uh... do yaa... you know... um think it's ... girlly? For a guy that is?" Kanji's hands can't stop rubbing the back of his head.

Naoto almost laughs, and Kanji get a worried look. "I'm not one to worry about what's manly or femenin. People like all kinds of things. Only idiots believe that only boys, or only girls can do or like certan things."

A broad grin spreads across Kanji's face. "Thanks"

"For what?"

Kanji carries the dishes over to the sink and glances over at the stairs, and sees Shoji, grinning. Shoji stands up straight and walks into the room. "Wow you guys almost have everything cleaned up already. I can finish up."

"Are you sure?" Naoto asks.

"Of course." Shoji says. "Why don't you walk home with Kanji?"

Panic spreads over Kanji's face, and his mouth starts to move, but no words come out. Naoto just shrugs as she gets her shoes and coat. Kanji is looking between Shoji and Naoto, his surprise turning into embarassment. "Uh... I'd... like to... uh you know... walk you home."

"You know that really isn't neccessary. I can take care of myself. Besides, I believe my house is on the other side of town from where you live in the shopping district."

"Uh... yeah... I guess..." Kanji says, looking at the ground as he gets his shoes on.

"Then I guess you both can just walk together till the shopping district."

Naoto looks off a moment as if she is thinking of a map then she nods. "Yeah. That could work. It's not my usual route, but it isn't very different in distance going that way."

Kanji stands and says, "See ya later, Senpai."

"Yes, till next time." Naoto says, waving as she and Kanji head out in the lightly falling snow.

Naoto opens her umbrella and starts walking. Kanji curses and sighs. He puts his arms into his coat and zipps it up tight and starts to follow Naoto, looking at the ground and just following her small footsteps in the snow. After a block or so Naoto looks back at Kanji. "You know, there isn't any purpose in you getting wet. You may share my umbrella."

"Um... well..." Kanji stammers, his face starting to get red. "You sure... um... is there room?"

"I haven't ever shared with this umbrella, but doubtless it would keep some of the snow off of you."

"Um... Thanks." Kanji says, as he bends his head to get under with Naoto. She raises the umbrella higher so that Kanji doesn't have to bend over as they walk. Kanji shortens his stride to match Naoto with slight difficulty, yet tries to keep his head under, but trying to let Naoto stay all the way under the umbrella. Yet all he seems to accomplish is walking funny and getting almost as wet with snow as he would have without the aid of the umbrella.

Naoto stops after only another block and turns to face Kanji. "Maybe it would be adventagious for you to hold the umbrella, seeing as you are the taller individual."

"Huh?..." Kanji looks back at Naoto confused for a moment. "Uh... sure."

Naoto hands Kanji the umbrella. "I would also probably be more efficiant if we were closer together."

Kanji nods and they start walking again, shoulder to shoulder, with the umbrella between the two of them. As they walk the snow starts to fall harder, and thicker. Soon a gust of wind nearly pulls the umbrella out of Kanji's hand. "Whoa!" he says, grabing onto it with both hands. "I didn't check the weather, but this storm is getting worse."

"That would be a correct assessment." Naoto says. "I think I should call my Grandfather and see if I could get a ride." She pulls out her cellphone, then closes it. "I don't have any signal. It's probably the storm."

"You could use the landline at my house." Kanji suggests.

Naoto nods, then uses one of her hands to help steady the umbrella. "If we point the umbrella towards the wind we should keep the snow from blowing into our faces."

They continued with each of them holding onto the handle of the umbrella, as the wind tried to pull it out of their grip. Soon the snow was falling so hard that they could hardly see a foot in front of them. "Do you know where we are?" Naoto asks over the sound of the wind."I can't see anything!"

Kanji puts his arm around Naoto to turn her. "Down this street is a short cut!" They continue down an alleyway, with Kanji's arm around her and both of them holding onto the umbrella. Soon they come to the back door of Kanji's home. They both step into the entryway and shake off all of the snow that has built up on their clothes. As they were pulling off their wet shoes Kanji's mother comes around the corner.

"Oh, I am so glad you're home safe."

"I'm fine ma!"

"It is really getting bad out there. I was worried."

"My friend needs to use the phone." Kanji says, leading the way into the kitchen.

Naoto gives a slight bow to Kanji's mother "Pardon the intrusion."

"Oh don't you worry about it. You're soaked to the bone!"

"I just need to call my grandfather." Naoto says as she follows Kanji.

"I'd just hate to see anyone try to drive in this weather." Tashumi-san continues as she follows Naoto and her son. "It isn't safe, The news even said that some areas have lost power. You know if it would be alright with your family, you could stay the night."

"MA!" Kanji complains. "That's enough."

"You know I think I'll go fix some hot tea. That should warm you both right up." She says, heading over to the stove.

Kanji rolls his eyes as Naoto holds the phone to her ear. "Hello, can I talk to my grandfather." Pause... "Yes, I'm alright." Pause. "I'm at Kanji's home. But I don't think it would be a good idea to walk outside anymore." Pause... "Do you think so?" Pause... "His mother did offer but..." Pause... "You're probably right. Love you too. Goodbye." Naoto hangs up the phone and walks over to the table and sits down with her legs under the Kotatsu. "My grandfather doesn't think it is a good idea to drive right now, unless we really need to. Plus they don't have power at our house."

"Well then that settles it." Kanji's mother says, placing a steaming cup of tea in front of Naoto. "You can stay here."

"Thank you Ma'am."

"No trouble at all. I'll go up and start the bath running. It's big enough that both you boys can get in it to warm up."

"MA!"Kanji yells his face red.

"what's the trouble dear? I don't want either of you to catch a cold."

"Naoto is a GIRL!"

"Oh my." Tatsumi-san says, her eyes wide, glancing back and forth between her son and Naoto "I'm so sorry Naoto. I thought that... well nevermind I'll get the hot water going, and as the guest you should go first." She nodds again at Naoto and heads up the stairs.

"Sorry, 'bout that." Kanji says, pouring himself some tea, his face beet red.

"It's ok." Naoto says, sipping her tea, trying to hide behind her cup, a slight color on her cheeks. "It's my own fault that I tried to get everyone to believe I'm a boy. Not your fault your mom didn't hear the news after I came back from inside the TV."

"Well, she probably did hear it... but my ma don't take rumors seriously. So she probably ignored it. Hell, she never would listen to any of the rumors 'bout me."

Naoto nodds and sips her tea. Once she finishes her cup she asks. "So where would I find the bath?"

Kanji stumbles as he stands up. "Oh umm... This way." He leads her up the stairs to the bathroom. The tub is already part full. "There are clean towels over there." Kanji says, pointing to the cupboard above the toilet. "Ma will probably find something dry for you to sleep in." Looking at the floor, his face bright as a tomato Kanji heads out of the bathroom.

"Thank you." Naoto calls, as he shuts the door.

Kanji pulls off his wet shirt, as he enters his room, across the hall. He turns to his dresser to find his mother going through his drawers. "MA! What do you think you're doin'?"

Tatsumi-san turns around and holds out one of Kanji's T-shirts in one hand and a frilly nightgown in the other. "I wasn't sure what your friend would be most comfortable sleeping in. So I thought I'd give her a choice. She could sleep in one of my nightgowns, or a T-shirt and some sweatpants of yours. Since she dresses as a boy I thought that your T-shirt-"

"Alright!" Kanji says, cutting his mother off. "I get it."

"Once you're out of your wet clothes and into some PJ's will you come help me move a few things in the sewing room. The extra futon should fit in there if we move things around a bit."

"Fine." Kanji says, as his mother leaves the room.

Tatsumi-san knocks on the bathroom door, then speaks loud enough to be heard though the door. "Naoto! I have two different pajamas you can wear tonight. I didn't know which you'd be more comfortable with so I'll let you choose."

The door opens a crack and Naoto's hand comes out."Thank you." Naoto says, as she pulls the clothes into the bathroom. Naoto holds up the nightgown. It is frilly, with a flower pattern on it and practically screams "GIRL". The other set of clothing is obviously Kanji's, a black T-shirt with a skull and plain black sweatpants. Naoto sighs and sets the clothes down by the sink and turns off the water to the tub, and hops in. Warmth covers her from head to toe. She can feel the aches and knots in her muscles relax. She sets her head on the edge of the tub, and a thought drifts across her mind that she might want to be careful not to fall asleep in the tub.

Meanwhile Kanji is moving a large box of cloth into the corner and out of the middle of the sewing room. He also pushes his mothers large sewing machine into the corner so it is out of the way as well. Just as he finishes clearing a space in the middle of the room his mother comes in with a space heater. She plugs it into the wall and sets it on the floor. "Oh that'll be nice..." Kanji says, flopping down next to the heater and trying to warm his now dry clothes and the workout of moving things around his skin was still cold and he was wishing he could get warmer.

"Now Kanji dear," His mother starts to say. "After you rest and warm up a moment I'll need to you get the spare futon from in my room and bring in here."

Kanji's head flips around, "You mean Dad's futon?"

"Yes dear, that is the only other one we have."

"Well... yeah... I guess I just didn't think about that, till now."

Tatsumi-san pats her son on his shoulder. "I'm sure your father wouldn't mind."

"It's not that!" Kanji says, shoving his mother's hand off his shoulder and standing up. "I'll go get it."

Tatsumi-san sighs as she watches her son walk out. "Oh my sweet boy," she whispers to herself. "can't you see that missing your father isn't weakness." She sighs again, then walks out of the room to take care of Kanji's and Naoto's wet clothes.

Note - I keep debating which PJ's I want to put Naoto in. The oversized black skull T-shirt and sweatpants, or the flower print nightgown. So I am asking you the reader. Which would you like to see Naoto in? I hope you like this chapter. Keep reading. BTW The more comments I get will make me write faster...


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own persona 4 or any of the characters...blaa blaaa blaa and so on.

FYI: In Japan most people don't have a clothes dryer. Random fact I learned from my sister who has spent quite a while in Japan... so I don't want any comments about "Why didn't they just put their clothes in the dryer?" Unless you're really rich most people in Japan don't have dryers...

Chapter 5

Naoto is standing in the bathroom, a towel around her glancing between the two sets of clothes she has to choose between. The Nightgown would fit the best, seeing as Tatsumi-san and her are close to the same size, yet Naoto can't even recall the last time she wore a dress. Though she does own a nightgown, even if she hasn't worn it since before middle school, when she started to become a woman. The T-shirt and sweat pants looked several sizes too big for her. In fact she thought that the t-shirt would almost come down to her knees, almost becoming a nightgown all by itself. The pants have a drawstring, so that they wouldn't fall down, yet she couldn't help thinking that they would look like clown pants on her.

With a heavy sigh she pulls the nightgown over her head. It fit well, even if it did look like it was made for an old lady. The hem reached halfway between her ankles and knees. The neck was high enough that it didn't risk showing any cleavage, something Naoto was very grateful for. Dispite the nightgown being perfectly modest and covering everything that she wanted, it still felt weird to Naoto. When she looked in the mirror she looked like a girl, with lace, frills, and a hourglass figure. Naoto looked away from the mirror to the door, and realized that there was a rack hanging on the door, with two bathrobes. She took the smaller of the two down and put it on, then looked back into the mirror. It was a normal fluffy white robe, with this on, Naoto felt much better. The lace and frills were hidden, and her figure was less noticable. She nodded at herself in the mirror and went out to see were she would be sleeping for the night.

She heads towards the room at the end of the hallway that has a light on. "Tatsumi-san... I am done in the bathroom..." She says, as she came upon the doorway. As she looks in Kanji stands up from pushing a box of fabric into the far corner. "I hope you don't mind if I also use your bathrobe?" Naoto asks Kanji's mother, who was laying out Naoto's clothes to dry.

"Not at all dear. I've got your things all laid out, hopefully they will be dry by morning. The space heater should help."

"I'm gonna get in the bath now," Kanji says making his way across the room looking at the floor, his face red.

"Ok dear," his mother says as she pats his shoulder. "If you need anything let Kanji or I know." Tatsumi-san says as she heads out the door after her son.

"Thank you," Naoto says. "This is fine, I'll see you in the morning."

Once Naoto is alone she takes inventory of her clothes. _Hat- check. Coat- check. Shirt- check. Pants-check. Chest band- oh crap..._ Naoto does a double take. the band that she uses to hide her breasts isn't with the rest of her things. she thinks over when she had it last... She took off her wet clothes and handed them out to Tatsumi-san. But her underwear and the chest band weren't wet... she had left it in the bathroom. Naoto opens the door to the hall. The bathroom door is shut, and the light is on. She steps out and puts her ear to the door. She can hear humming and splashing on the other side, Kanji is already in the bath. Naoto walks back to her room._ Maybe he won't see it. I can go get it after he comes out. _She thinks.

Back in her room Naoto looks around for something to read while she waits for Kanji to finish his bath. All she can find is several craft and sewing magazines and a cliche' romance novel, probably belonging to Tatsumi-san. She glances over the magazines, but can't find much to keep her attention. She tried to learn how to sew years ago, it is a useful skill, but every time she tried things just ended up looking worse than they had been before she had tried to fix them.

She set down the magazine and flipped open the book. The characters seemed very flat to Naoto. The girl loves the boy, but is afraid of being rejected...skip... The boy is also in love with the girl, but doesn't have time outside of his family business...skip, skip... Generic misunderstandings and hurt feelings blaa blaa blaa...skip, skip, skip... then of course they get together at the end when they just talk about their feelings and explain things. Then they start kissing and he touches her and she touches him... And Naoto slaps the book shut.

"Enough of that." Naoto says, as she sets the book aside. People just made things more difficult for themselves by not communicating. Naoto sighs and paces around the room, checks to see if her clothes are dry and then peeks out the door towards the bathroom. There is light coming from under the door, so Naoto shuts her door again. Just as she is about to sit back down on her futon. She hears the bathroom door open and Kanji.

"Hey ma!"

"No need to shout dear." Tatsumi-san answers. "What is it?"

"I think you left your back support, brace thingy in the bathroom."

Naoto's face turns red. The band she uses to hold her breasts down looks a lot like some back support that people wear for back pain. Naoto bites her lip as she stands next to the door so that she can hear what Tatsumi-san says next.

"Kanji dear, that isn't mine."

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

Naoto opens her door. "It's mine." She says, as she reaches out and pulls it out of Kanji's hands.

"Oh, you poor dear, back pain at your age?"

"No Tatsumi-san, I don't use it for my back." Naoto says, as she trys to hide it behind her.

Kanji has a confused look on his face and he looks towards where Naoto hid her "back support", then his eyes move up towards her face, but stop as he notices her chest. His face turns beet red and he looks away as fast as he can. "I uh... well I... Good night." Kanji says, as he practically runs back to his room.

"Yes, good night." Naoto says, as she closes her door. She leans against the closed door and sighs._ So much for him not seeing it,_ she thinks. She sets her breast band with her other things, and sets the bathrobe aside, then turns off the light and crawls into her futon. _I hope the roads are clear in the morning._ She wishes as she falls to sleep.

Meanwhile down the hall. Kanji lies in his bed with a pillow over his face_. Of course she has...those things... breasts... She is a girl after all..._ Kanji sighed into the pillow. She had a bathrobe on, but her figure was still clearly visable. It's not like it's something he hasn't seen before. He would sometimes look at girl's chests at school when they weren't looking. But he never felt like this when he saw them. Part of the reason he started to wonder if all those kids that made fun of him were right. But now, the tightness in his pants made him painfully aware of Naoto's curves. Kanji sat up suddenly, and walked over to his sewing machine. He had to do something, anything with his hands to get his mind on other things. He laid out the dark blue fabric and once again made careful cuts for yet another attempt at making a hat for Naoto's bear.

Several hours later Kanji put the finished hat on the bear. It looked perfect. His mother was right, sewing it by hand was the way to go. The bear looked like it stole Naoto's clothes. He sat down onto his bed to look at the bear. Now that he was finished, he had no clue how he was going to give it to her. He kept thinking it over as he looked at the bear, and drifted off to sleep.

Down the hall Naoto awoke from a dream where she could only find the men's restroom, but no one would let her use it saying she was a girl and shouldn't be going into the boys bathroom. Despite the chill in the air Naoto pushed back her covers and tried not to run to the bathroom. After she had finished she noticed that the light was still on in Kanji's room. Could he still be awake at his hour? She lightly knocked on the door. No answer. "Kanji-kun?" she whispered. She slowly pushed the door open. Peeking in she saw that Kanji was indeed asleep on his bed. She tip toed towards his bed and picked up the blanket off of the floor. As she lowered it over Kanji she noticed the bear in the crook of his arm. _It looks like me..._ She thought. _Why is he sleeping with a bear that looks like me? Does he always sleep with it?_

Naoto drops the blanket and turns towards the door, knocking over a pile of magazines in the process. "Huh?" Kanji says as he sits up and rubs his face. "Naoto? What the hell you doing here?"

Naoto turns around, a faint blush creeping on her face. "Oh I'm sorry, I saw the light was on when I got up to use the bathroom, I really just peeked in to see why you were up so late. Then when I saw you were asleep I figured you'd get cold without a blanket so I-"

"It's ok... I was just suprised." Kanji said looking turning away, his face red. He glanced over at her. She must have left the bathrobe in the other room. The nightdress showed off her figure well. Her chest filled the top, and Kanji couldn't help but wonder how she kept her chest looking so flat most of the time. Kanji suddenly realizes what this train of thought is doing to him. He suddenly grabs the pillow at the top of his bed and uses it to cover his lap, and the tent that started to form in his pants.

"If you are embarassed by your puppy print pajama pants, I've already seen them." Naoto says, "But I have to ask what were you doing up so late?"

Kanji swallowed the lump in his throat. Now or never He thinks. "I was...uh... Well you seee... I was finishing this for you." He says, as he leans over to grab the bear that had fallen onto the floor. "I uh... I've been working on it... but I wasn't able to finish it before Nanako's party."

"That is thoughtful, but unnecesary. There is really no need for you to give me a Christmas gift."

"I wanted to."

Naoto looks the bear over. The craftmenship is supurb. Looking inside the jacket Naoto finds a small fabric magnifying glass on one side and a small gun on the other. "You're attention to detail is quite remarkable." She says.

"Naw... it's nothing." Kanji says, as he rubs the back of his head.

"You really do have a great talent. I'm suprised you don't do more with it."

"Really?" Kanji says, looking her in the eye. "You heard what Rise said. People think it is weird. They think I'm weird." Kanji stands up and walks over to his window, his back to Naoto. "You... You don't hafta keep it if you don't wanna. I just... I justa..."

"Thank you, Kanji. It is a sweet gift. Good night." Naoto says, as she leaves the room, the bear held tightly to her chest.

Kanji leans his head against the ice cold window and sighs. _That is sooo NOT how I wanted to give it to her_. Kanji thinks. He sighs and flicks the light off as he heads to his bed. He flops down and covers his face with a pillow and tries not to imagine what weird and crazy things Naoto now thinks of him.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 4 or it's characters blaa blaa blaaa

Chapter 6

Naoto realized, as she held the bear in Kanji's room, that in her rush to the bathroom she hadn't put the bathrobe back on. She tried her best to act normal, but almost as soon as Kanji's back was turned she thanked him and went back to her room. Once back in her room, she turned on the light to study the bear without having to worry about Kanji looking at her. The bear was indeed very well made, and the clothes were total copies of her own. To her knowledge the only other person that Kanji gave a Christmas gift to was Nanako. However, since she just got home from the hospital and came back from death, it is only reasonable for her to receive gifts. Yet why would Kanji choose to give ME a gift as well? Naoto couldn't help but wonder. Naoto thought through the things she knew about Kanji from his behavior.

Thinking back Naoto realizes that most of the time Kanji has been stiff and guarded around her. Sometimes Kanji wouldn't even look at her. The few times that they talked he mostly gave short gruff answers and his face seemed to be flushed a lot. In fact at times Kanji would say rather odd things that wouldn't make sense .At these times the other members of the team would sometimes have slight smiles, mostly Rise and Yosuke. Naoto had discarded this as unimportant since she had more pressing worries on her mind. In fact a particular event comes to Naoto mind. Before the culture festival when Kanji found out that Naoto would be in the beauty pageant he said some rather odd things to her when she talked about trying to get out of it. Yosuke and Rise said that Kanji wanted her in it. Then Kanji himself said, "I beg you...please be in it. If you do my, uh, doubts will finally be cleared...C'mon! Make me a man!" At the time Naoto was confused and startled by Kanji's reactions, but she brushed it off with worries of the upcoming pageant, then the case brought more pressing matters to her attention.

Now that she has the time she thinks it over. Why would Kanji want me, specifically, in the beauty pageant? Why do boys like those things in the first place? Because they like to see girls paraded around in swimsuit and such. But Kanji didn't seem to care about the other girls being in it, he just cared about me being in it. Therefore something special must be about me. Or maybe special feelings; Kanji likes me. The realization startles Naoto so much that she drops the bear. She thinks over all of the times she was around Kanji. Unless he was mad, or in battle, he seemed to be nervous and blushing. But now that she thinks back, it is obvious; Kanji has a crush on her.

Several individuals have expressed their affection for Naoto since she came to Inaba, either in love notes in her shoe locker, or more embarrassing, in person. All these people professed to love her, yet none really knew her. Kanji on the other hand knew her quite well. He had seen her inner turmoil and spent a great deal of time around her in and out of the TV. Though most of the time he was content to be a quiet observer when she was around with the group. As Naoto thinks about it more, she realizes that Kanji may know a lot about her, but she didn't know that much about him. She knows more than most people around town, yet somehow Naoto couldn't help but feel that she wanted to unravel the puzzle that was Kanji. With a firm nod Naoto turns off the light determined to learn more about Kanji in the morning.

When Naoto awoke again she couldn't tell right away whether the sun was up or not. Dark snow clouds were covering the sun and not letting much light through. From the window all Naoto could see is snow and gray sky. She sighs to herself and tries to turn on the light, but nothing happens.

"Apparently the power is out here now." Naoto mutters.

Checking her clothes she discovers that they are dry, yet cold. With regret she pulls off her warm nightgown and slips into her clothes from yesterday. Even though Naoto enjoys the familiar feel of her clothes she can't help but shiver. She picks up one of the blankets that she was using with the futon and wraps it around her shoulders like a shawl. Satisfied that she won't freeze, Naoto heads down stairs, where she can hear noise coming from the kitchen. Once Naoto is down stairs she sees Tatsumi-san filling a tea pot with water from the sink.

"How do you intend to boil the water for tea?" Naoto asks curious.

"Oh Good morning." She says, as she turns around and walks over to the family room. "We have this for emergencies, earthquakes, and such." She says, as she sets the tea pot on an old wood burning cast iron stove. It was set a few feet away from the wall and had a pipe running from the stove to the wall to let the smoke out of the house. Tatsumi-san crumpled some newspaper and put it into the stove along with a few pieces of wood from the small pile against the wall, then uses a match to light it. Once the fire starts she closes the door to the stove and smiles at Naoto. "It may be old but it still works just fine."

Naoto nods and smiles back. "Whatever works, but that small pile of wood will not last long."

"We have more out back. I just hope it isn't too wet. We had a tarp over it, but with all the wind it may have blown off. I'll have Kanji go out and get some after he gets up."

Naoto nodded. "Do you think the phone lines are still working?"

"You could try." Tatsumi-san says, pointing to the phone over against the wall.

As Naoto heads over to the phone Tatsumi-san grabs an empty pot and starts to measure out water and rice. When Naoto picks up the phone the soft sound of a dial tone reaches her ear. She taps out the number for her grandfather's country estate. After a few rings the calm and crisp voice of her grandfather's secretary, Yakushiji, answers.

"Shiragani residence," Yakushiji-san says.

"Is my Grandfather available to talk?"

"Of course, one moment please."

After a brief pause Naoto hears the sweet sound of her Grandfather's voice. "Hey there sweetheart, staying warm?"

"Hello, yes we are warm for now. Is the power back on at the estate?"

"Sadly no, but we managed to get the generator working. It isn't much, but it is enough to keep the lights and heat on. How are things at your friend's house?"

"The power is out here, but the Tatsumi's are well prepared. They have a wood burning stove in their living room and other emergency supplies. However, I feel as if I shouldn't impose upon them longer than it is needed."

"Well the roads haven't been plowed here yet, it has stopped snowing for the moment. However it may start again any time now. Once the roads are clear we'll see how the weather is. But I'm afraid you're going to have to stay there for a while."

"I understand. "

"I'll call you back at this number when they clear the roads. Stay warm until then. "

"I will. Talk to you later."

"I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon. Bye sweetie." With that her grandfather hangs up and she sets the phone back down slowly.

"You know." Tatsumi-san says. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all for you to stay here. In fact, camping out in the living room could be fun. "

Naoto smiles at the idea of a camp out. She hasn't ever been camping. She has always had private tutors, thus no school campouts, and Grandfather was never the outdoors type. They would stay inside and play chess or read mysteries together.

"Well I think I need to go wake Kanji. The tea is hot and we will need more firewood soon." Tatsumi-san says, interrupting Naoto's thoughts.

With that said Tatsumi-san picked up a flashlight and went upstairs. Naoto settles down in front of the stove, and pours herself a cup of tea. Soon Naoto is warm again, inside and out. While drinking her tea she looks around the room. With the patchy light it is hard to make out details, but Naoto is able to see things better than the night before. A large TV is against the far wall. Such a modern device seems to stand out in the rest of the room, which is old fashioned classic Japanese, tatami mats and sliding doors. There is even a small shrine in the corner opposite the TV. The upper floor must have been added later, Naoto concludes. The more modern and western style bathroom and bedrooms, is evident that it wasn't built at the same time as the first floor. The Tatsumi's must have been living in this house for generations, and built it up and added new modern convenient as they needed and had money for.

On the other hand, her grandfather's estate is all modern. With the newest styles and conveniences built in. Looking around Naoto starts to think there is something sweet and sentimental about living in a house like this. Almost like looking back at one family's history, by the way their house grew to fit their needs.

Soon she can hear Kanji thumping down the stairs, grumbling under his breath. He heads out the door, hardly stopping to shove his feet into his boots before heading out into the snow. Tatsumi-san comes down soon as well with a few candles and a radio. She sets the radio down on the table and uses some matches to light a few candles.

"I thought it was a bit dark in here." She says, as she sets one candle next to the small shrine, then walks over to set another one on the end table on the other side of the living room. With that done she walks over to the wood stove and checks on the rice, cooking in the pan.

Naoto looks toward the door where Kanji left and stands up. "I'll be right back." She says, as she pulls the blanket tighter around herself and heads up the stairs.

With no windows in the hall way, it takes Naoto a moment to find the room that she had spent the night in. Once there she pulls back the covers of the futon and finds the bear that Kanji had given to her the night before. She's not sure why, but she feels the need to have the bear with her when Kanji comes back inside from gathering wood.

Author's notes: Thank you all for reading and having patience with my slow updating. As always comments make me smile. I'd also like to let you know that I'll soon be putting up a short fic with Naoto and Kanji that takes place during Persona 4 Arena, titled "The Hardest Battle." If you haven't played the game yet, you should. The story mode is great and I believe it is a lead into Persona 5.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 4 or any of the characters…

Author's note: Some of you may have noticed that I changed the cover picture for this fic. I drew the picture of Naoto and if you want to see the whole un-cropped picture you can go to Deviantart web page... I'm having trouble posting a link. So it is (smallbell. deviantart #/d5fajhk) I have her wearing the headband that she picked out in Chapter One. Once again thank you for your comments they make me smile and I'm glad to know that people are reading and enjoying my fic.

Chapter 7

Kanji pulled his coat tighter against himself as he swore under his breath yet again. He didn't get enough sleep last night, and now his ma makes him go out into the cold first thing. To make matters worse the wind had blown the tarp almost completely off their wood pile. Only a small section was even remotely dry. Lugging an armload of wood into the house Kanji swore yet again as he tries to open the door to the house, just as he is about to drop the wood in frustration his mother opens the door for him.

"Is any of the wood dry?" She asks, as he comes in.

"Not really. I got the driest pieces here." Kanji says, as he sets them down. "I'll go out and get some more, and hopefully that will be dry by the time we need to use it."

Kanji makes a few more trips, setting the wood just inside the door so that his mother can move it all the way into the house to dry. When he comes back in at last his face and hands are numb, yet he is sweating under his coat. He pulls off his wet boots and socks and sets them by the door along with his coat on the hook. Sparing Naoto and his mother a glance as they set the wet wood out to dry, Kanji pulls a chair close enough to put his hands over the warm stove until he was only inches away.

"Damn frezzin' out there."

"Here is a cup of tea to warm you up." His mother says, handing him a cup. "Thank you for going out and getting more wood."

"Yeah, whatever." Tatsumi-san just smiles and kisses his cheek. "MA!" Kanji protests, wiping his cheek off. "What didja hafta do that for?"

She just smiles and shakes her head, then checks on the rice. "Naoto-san would you be a dear and get some bowls and chopsticks, the rice is nearly done."

"Of course, Tatsumi-san." Naoto says, as she heads into the kitchen.

Kanji glances in her direction as she leaves the room. She looks to be back in her regular clothes with a blanket around her shoulders for warmth. She is always calm and in control. No way to tell what she really thought of his botched up job of giving her a Christmas gift last night. Not that Kanji could bring himself to look her in the face anyway.

When she returns Kanji looks away, hoping she can't see his blush in the dim lights. Naoto sets the bowls and chopsticks around the low table and sits on one of the cushions. Tatsumi-san brings over the pot and starts to dish out the rice. "Come on over and have some rice, Kanji." His mother says.

"I uh…. Well I….. My hands are still numb. I uh… I can't hold chopsticks."

"Well I hope you warm up soon, dear. You wouldn't want your rice to get cold." His mother says as she sits down across from Naoto. "So how did you sleep last night Naoto-san?"

"I slept very well. Thank you for your hospitality."

"No worries. It was our pleasure. I see that you were the one that Kanji was making that bear for." She says, nodding towards the bear that is sitting on the edge of the table.

Kanji stiffens and glances over his shoulder to see that the bear is sitting on the table next to Naoto's elbow. A blush creeps over his face and he turns back toward the warm fire.

"Yes, he gave it to me last night."

"He worked so hard on it."

"MA!" Kanji complains.

"But you did dearie. It took you a few times to get the hat just how you wanted it." Kanji's face turns even redder as he grumbles to himself and looks at the hot stove. "Kanji always has some project he is working on." His mother continues. "He is very talented."

"Indeed he is." Naoto agrees.

Hearing Naoto's praise, even if it is just agreement with his mother, makes Kanji sit straighter in his chair. He rubs the back of his neck and blushes even more, as he looks back at his mother and Naoto. "Ma, I'm sure Naoto-kun doesn't want to hear you go on about me!"

"Every mother does that. But if you insist." With that said, Tatsumi-san starts to eat her rice. Quiet fills the room, with the only the sound of the crackling fire, when Kanji's belly lets out a rumble. Tatsumi-san laughs. "Well my son, I'm sure your hands can manage chopsticks now. Come and eat."

Kanji sighs and sits down at the table, across from Naoto. He accepts the bowl of hot rice without comment and starts to eat. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence Naoto clears her throat. "So Tatsumi-san, how long has your family lived here?"

"Well now let me think. My husband's family owned this place for generations. They use to spin the thread and make the cloth all by hand, a long time ago. But of course times change, and now we just get by with selling cloth and making clothes as special orders come in. Over the years we've always managed to get by. The family business was very important to Kanji's father." She glances over at the small shrine in the corner of the living room. "You know, I think I could make some Miso soup without much trouble."

"You needn't trouble yourself." Naoto says.

"No trouble at all." Tatsumi-san says, standing up. "I'll be back."

With that said, she exits the room, leaving Kanji and Naoto alone. Kanji has finished his rice and reaches to refill his bowl at the same time that Naoto speaks up. "With your sewing talents I'm sure you'll make your family proud when it comes to your turn to run the shop."

Kanji shrugs, "Yeah I guess, if I don't scare away all the customers."

"Though it is true that you can be intimidating when you want to be, I am also sure that you will be able to alter people's perceptions of you. You know, last night I didn't really get to thank you properly for your thoughtful Christmas gift. Thank you very much, I can tell you must have put a lot of effort into it."

"Well uh… You know… you're welcome." Kanji says, looking down at his rice bowl, his face as red as a tomato.

"Though I was confused for a while as to why you would feel the need to give me a gift."

"Well… uh…. I just …like giving people stuff."

"Kanji-kun, would you mind if I asked you some personal questions?"

Kanji looks up at Naoto startled. "I uh…. Well… um….. sure, I guess. What ya…. What ya wanna know?"

A blush creeps over Naoto's cheeks and she bites her lip momentarily before she speaks. "After much thought last night I came to the conclusion that you may want to pursue a more romantic relationship with me. Would that be a correct?"

"You, ah….. well I ah…." Kanji stands up and starts to pace the room, fidgeting and looking everywhere but at Naoto. "Well you see I… The thing is…."

"By your increased nervous reactions, and your flushed face, may I assume that the answer is yes?"

With a sigh Kanji sits down next to Naoto and starts fiddling with the bear. "Yeah….. I guess… yeah." But he looks up at Naoto suddenly. "Unless that offends you, then you can just forget the whole thing. Just forget I exist and I'll just crawl into a hole or something."

A small smile creeps over Naoto's face and she bites her lower lip before answering. "You know Kanji-kun, not long ago I would have considered a romantic relationship a waste of time. That was before I became friends with everyone here in Inaba. I've come to realize that having relationships and friendships is important. Having someone to talk to and confide in was something I was missing before. I had my grandfather, but there were some things I had trouble talking to him about. I'm glad to be able to consider you one of my friends."

"You really mean that?" Kanji asks, looking up at Naoto.

"Yes, though to tell the truth, before now I had never considered having a romantic type relationship with anyone."

Kanji nods. "Yeah, I kinda get that. I felt the same way, until I met you."

Naoto blushes and looks away. "So um…. I was thinking. I am not opposed to pursuing a relationship, but I think before we do I'd like to get to know you better. Maybe spend more time together one on one, talking and see if a relationship would be a good thing."

Kanji's face lights up and a grin spreads over his face. "I'd like that very much Naoto-kun."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 4 or any of the characters….blaa blaa blaa

Chapter 8

Naoto glances around the room in the patchy firelight. Her gaze turns to Kanji, who after eating some soup fell asleep on the couch. Tatsumi-san hums to herself as she sews together some project of hers. The light isn't really good enough to read by. The only place with enough light to do much is near the fire, and currently Tatsumi-san is sitting there using the light to sew. Naoto glances over at Kanji again.

_He isn't nearly as intimidating when he's asleep_. She thinks_. He almost looks like a puppy._ Naoto smiles and laughs as the thought crosses her mind.

Tatsumi-san looks up from her sewing. "Something funny?"

"I was just thinking about something."

"What would that be?"

"Well…" Naoto says wetting her lips. "When I was younger my Grandfather had a dog, a pit-bull to be exact. Most people were afraid of him, and I must admit he could look rather fearsome. But once he knew that you were friendly he was the sweetest dog you ever met. I loved to play with him. When we weren't outside he would always be at my feet as I read or played chess. If anyone he didn't know got to close to me though, he would growl and bark as if he was defending me. I miss that dog."

"What made you start thinking about him?"

Naoto smiles, "that's the funny part. I was looking at Kanji-kun sleeping, and for some reason I started to think about him."

Tatsumi-san smiles, "I can see that. Your dog and Kanji are often misjudged by the way they first appear. They growl, and bark, but once they get to know you, they are rather sweet. Yes that's my boy alright. So what was your dog's name?"

"Yama."

"Mountain; strong, unmovable, and yet beautiful. That's a good name. What happened to him?"

Naoto shrugs, "He died of old age. My Grandfather had him for quite a while before I came to live with him. Afterward we couldn't bear to replace him, and then I started to help my grandfather on his cases. The rest is history; I started to become known as the next generation of great detective from my family."

"Taking up the family business is something we know all about. It has always been assumed that Kanji would take over the shop as I get older. He does well and helps out when I need him to. But sadly some people are still a little scared of him. He keeps telling me that several people will stop by when he is tending the shop, but just leave saying they will be back when I'm there to help them." Tatsumi-san sighs. "It's really too bad people can't look past his rough outside."

Naoto nods. "Yes people do have a habit of judging others biased solely on outward appearances. I am a victim of that as well. Quite often my theories are disregarded due to my age. People assume since I am so young that I lack experience."

"Naoto-san I couldn't help but wonder. You talk of your grandfather, but what of your parents?"

"They died when I was young in a car accident. I don't remember them very well."

"Oh I see…. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright."

"You may be alright now, but I'm sure your life was quite difficult without them."

"I suppose, but my grandfather was always there for me when I needed him."

"Yet when you started to become a young woman, did you have anyone around to help you understand what was happening."

Naoto looks away to hide her blush, "Uh… well… I…."

"I think that was part of Kanji's trouble. His father died when Kanji was such an impressionable age. He didn't know what it meant when he started to become a man. He thought he needed to be tough and protect me. He didn't have a role model to show him how to get along. I love him. I could care for him and try my best. But no matter what I did I couldn't show him how to be a good man."

Tatsumi-san sets her sewing down on the table and walks over to ware Kanji is sleeping. She runs her fingers through his hair. After a moment she stands and starts to walk out of the room. "I think I'm going to take a peek outside and see if the roads have been plowed."

After a moment Naoto rises as well and fallows Kanji's mother. As they cross the threshold into the kitchen Naoto can feel the drop in temperature. She pulls the blanket tighter around her as she fallows Tatsumi-san. As Naoto reaches the shop Tatsumi-san is wiping the condensation off the front window to look outside. "It looks like the roads are clear."

"The shopping district would be one of the first places to be plowed." Naoto notes. "Do you happen to have a battery operated radio?"

"Somewhere." Tatsumi-san admits. "Not sure where it got to. Let's go find it, shall we?"

Kanji throws off the blankets around him, feeling much too hot. He blinks his eyes and looks around, trying to figure out just ware he is. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes and looks around his living room. Memories of what has happened over the last few hours wash over him and he can't help but smile.

_Naoto agreed to spend more time with me._ He thinks. _She wasn't totally freaked out by the knowledge that I really like her. _ _Now I need to figure out what we can to do together. What do people do on dates? Is it really a date? Holy crap we're going on a date! We didn't say when or anything, but spending time just the two of us is a date, right? Oh shit, I don't know what to do! _

Kanji stands up and starts to pace, his mind racing. _What to do? What to do? I'm sure Sempai would know. That's it! I'll call Sempai. _He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and flips it open. It has almost no signal. Kanji sighs and pockets the phone again. He sighs and heads into the kitchen to where the landline phone is. But he stops at the doorway as he sees Naoto on her hands and knees her backside sticking out of one of the cupboards.

"I am unable to see if the radio is under here, Tatsumi-san." Naoto says.

Kanji looks up at the ceiling his face red. "What ya…. Why ya….. What the Hell!"

"No need to shout, dear." Kanji's mother says. "Naoto-san is just helping me look for the radio."

"Why you lookin' there? It's under the stairs."

"Oh thank you, sweetie. I'm glad you remembered where it is." His mother says, as she walks past him to get to the cupboard under the stairs.

Naoto walks over toward the stairs her face red, trying not to look in Kanji's direction. She holds out the flashlight. "Do you need the light?"

"If you would be so kind as to shine it over that direction….why thank you, here it is." Tatsumi-san turns around with a small radio. "Let's take this into the other room and warm up while we listen to the weather report and see if the roads are passable."

Kanji's mother heads into the living room with Naoto fallowing; when she realizes that Kanji isn't coming as well she turns. "Are you going to listen to the radio with us?"

"I uh…. Well ya see… I'll be there in a minute. "

Naoto nods and closes the door to the living room. Kanji lets out the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. He walks over to the phone and dials Shoji-sempai's number. Kanji is holding his breath. _Will he answer? Is he busy? Come on, pick up!_

"Hello."

"Hey, uh sempai, it's me, Kanji."

"What's up?"

"Uh well… Naoto-kun and I…. uh well…. I need some advice."

"Did you fallow my advice from yesterday?"

"No, not really. But I uh….Ya see, Naoto ended up staying over at my house last night cuz of the storm. I ended up giving her the bear I made, though I totally messed up how I wanted to give it to her. Nothing happened how I thought it would."

"What did she say when you gave it to her?"

"Thank you' and 'why you giving this to me?' and stuff like that."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I just wanted to give her something. Then she went back to her room and I thought for sure that she thought that I was creepy. But this morning she talking all sorts of stuff like, 'do you want a relationship with me?' and shit. I kinda freaked out when she said that. Well I'm really not sure how it happened…. But I think Naoto kinda agreed to go on a date with me."

"Really? When?"

"Well… we didn't say anything specific. In fact, I'm not even sure you could call it a date."

"Then what would you call it?"

"I don't know….Naoto was using some big words. She said stuff like 'spend more time together' and whatnot."

"Did she mean just the two of you?"

"Yeah."

"Sounds kinda like a date to me." Shoji says.

Somehow Kanji can just tell by his voice that sempai is smiling. Yet Kanji failed to see what he was smiling at. "But what do you do on a date? I mean I have no clue what to do."

"Just be yourself. Take her out to dinner, and talk."

"Uh… But…. You know…. What'll be talk about?"

"Anything you want. Calm down, you'll be fine. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay sempai. See ya."

Kanji hangs up the phone and rests his head against the wall with his eyes closed. He feels a bit better, but he still doesn't know what he is going to do about going on a date with Naoto. With a sigh he heads back into the warm living room.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 4 or any of the characters.

Chapter 9

A dark car pulls up in front of Tatsumi Textiles, splashing slush across the pavement. The driver gets out and opens the rear door for an elderly gentleman. He pulls his fur lined coat closer as he nods to his driver and walks up to the front of the store, and knocks loudly. After a moment Tatsumi-san cracks open the door. But before she can say anything the gentleman speaks up. "I am Shiragami-san. I am Naoto's Grandfather. I believe that she is here."

"Oh! Of course, come in." She says, opening the door wide and letting both men inside. "I don't think Naoto-kun was expecting you."

Shiragami-san nods. "Yes, I thought that we should see how the roads were for ourselves, but I didn't want to get her hopes up, or worry her about us driving."

Tatsumi-san leads the men though the dark and chilly house, into the warm and flickering light of the family room. "Naoto-kun, look who was at the front door."

Naoto and Kanji both look up from their tea. "Grandfather, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to pick you up. We thought we'd try out the roads, since the radio said it was clear in places."

Naoto nods. "I see." She stands and turns to face Tatsumi-san then gives her a small bow. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"Oh no trouble at all, it was our pleasure to have you over. Right Kanji?"

"Ah… oh… er… yeah it was great having you over."

"I would also like to thank you for letting Naoto stay the night." Shiragami-san says. "I really would have been worried sick if she had tried to make it home in that storm."

"Oh, yes I totally agree." Tatsumi-san says.

"Well do you have all your things?" Naoto's grandfather asks.

"Yes," Naoto says, reaching down to grab the bear from the table where Kanji and she were sitting. She pauses a moment near Kanji and open's her mouth for a moment, as if she is going to speak, yet she closes her mouth without saying anything. She walks out of the room with Kanji a few steps behind. As she gets to the doorway of the shop she turns to face Kanji. "I'll see you later, Kanji-kun."

"Yeah," He says waving weakly. "See ya around."

"Call me."

"Yeah, uh…. I will."

Naoto climbs into the car and the driver shuts the door then tips his hat to Kanji and his mother before climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car. Kanji isn't sure, but he thinks he sees Naoto give him another small wave from behind the tinted windows before the car drives off.

"Thank you for coming to pick me up." Naoto says, once the car starts.

"No trouble at all, my dear." Her grandfather replies, patting her hand. "The Tatsumis seem like a nice family."

"Yes they are very nice people."

"That is a very cute bear you have. Was it a Christmas gift?"

"Yes," Naoto says, rubbing its velvety soft fur. "In fact Kanji-kun made it for me."

"Did he now?" Her grandfather says, a knowing grin spreading across his face. "I think we should invite the Tatsumis over for dinner to thank them for their hospitality."

"If you think that is necessary." Naoto says not looking up from the bear.

"I do indeed. Hopefully the power will be back on soon, and we can have them over in a day or two."

The power came back on at Kanji's house mid-morning the next day. Kanji's mother sighs in relief since she had been debating if she should open the shop or not. Kanji climbs up to his room and was just starting to go through his fabric to see if he had enough to make another stuffed animal that someone had asked him to make. He absentmindedly answers his cell phone when it rings without bothering to see who had called.

"Hello," He says,his mind still on the pile of fabric.

"Hi Kanji-kun."

Kanji nearly drops the phone. "Uh… Naoto-kun!"

Kanji can hear the smile in Naoto's voice. "Yes, it's me. My grandfather wanted to invite you and your mother over for dinner tomorrow night. As a thank you for letting me stay over during the storm."

"Oh wow, that's really nice of him, but um… we didn't mind having you over."

"My grandfather insisted that we need to have you over. So if you and your mother are free tomorrow evening we'd like you to come over."

"I uh…. I think that should be ok." Kanji says, scratching the back of his head.

"Glad to hear it. Do you happen to have a car, or do you just use public transportation?"

"Uh…. We don't have a car….. we uh… just use the bus and whatnot."

"In that case I'll have Yakushiji-san pick you both up in our car. Will 6 o'clock be alright?"

"Yeah… um… fine."

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah… uh… bye."

Kanji sighs and hangs up the phone_. I sounded like a complete dumb ass._ He thinks_. I can't say two sentences without tripping over my tongue. Holy crap! I'm going over to Naoto-kun's house! I don't want her grandfather to think I am punk. Will this be a date?_ Kanji's mind races from one thing to the next as he digs through his clothes dresser, trying to find something that he can wear that will make him look more presentable to Naoto's grandfather.

The next day Kanji is pacing in his kitchen. He has on the best clothes that he owns, a black turtle neck and khaki pants. He checks his reflection in the microwave for the 20th time, and brushes some invisible lint off of his shirt. His mother comes in from closing the shop and smiled. "You look very nice, my dear."

"Do I?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. "I don't remember the last time I wore these pants. I spent all of yesterday trying to get an extra inch or so out of the length."

"They look fine." Tatsumi-san reassured her son.

"Are you sure? They don't feel quite right. I'm having to wear them lower on my waist than I like, so that my ankles don't show."

"Honey, if you don't feel comfortable in them, go up and change."

"Ma! I can't wear my normal clothes to Naoto-kun's house for dinner. She is like, way classy. Her family is rich. I uh… you know…. I just…."

"You could wear a yukata. I'm just going in my kimono."

Kanji looks over at his mother in her nice kimono, her gray hair done up in a bun held up with chopsticks. "Naw…" he says, shaking his head. "I wouldn't look right in a yukata, besides it is a bit cold for that."

"Well you better decide fast: jeans, or those khaki pants. Shiragami's driver will be here any moment to pick us up."

"But….. I ah…. Well…. I don't know!"

Just then a loud knock sounds from the shop door. Tatsumi-san grabs her coat and answers it. "Hello what can I do for you?"

"I am here to pick you and your son up ma'am."

"Wonderful, just a moment and I'll get my son." Tatsumi-san tells the man at the door. She walks into the kitchen. "Too late to change now. Just get your coat."

Kanji sighs and pulls on his fur-lined coat and follows his mother out to the waiting car.

Naoto stands in front of her full length mirror, switching between her cap and the blue headband that she had bought not long ago. No one had the opportunity to see her in the hair band other than Yukiko and Chie at the store. Her grandfather always insisted that she take off her hat during dinner, saying it was bad manners, so she wouldn't be able to hide behind her hat anyway. Naoto glances over to her dresser, where her hat is sitting next to the stuffed bear that Kanji had given to her. A small smile creeps onto her face as she looks at the bear.

After a moment she shakes her head and looks back at the mirror. She runs her hands down her shirt as if pressing out any wrinkles. Usually when she is at home she unbinds her chest. It is much more comfortable to have the bindings off. The pressure on her chest can be painful, and it makes it hard to eat much of anything. However, when anyone other than her grandfather is likely to see her, she always binds her breasts, even though it is common knowledge around Inaba that she is a woman.

She is holding her chest wrap in her hands, debating back and forth when there is a knock at her door. "Who is it?!" She calls

"It's me, sweetie!" Her grandfather calls through the door.

"Come in."

Her grandfather comes in, and smiles as he sees her standing in front of the mirror. "You look wonderful. That hair band looks good on you."

"Thank you" She says with a slight blush. "But I keep debating if I would rather bind my chest this evening or not."

"Do the Tatsumi's know you're a girl?"

"Yes."

"Then why would you go through the trouble. "

"I uh…"

"Naoto," he says, sitting down on the end of her bed. "I know and agree that when you are on a case it is a lot simpler for you to pretend to be a boy and you often get more respect from the locals. It is a sad but true fact. However, this is your home, you should be comfortable here. Kanji Tatsumi is your friend; you don't need to impress anyone."

Naoto sighs and sits down next to her grandfather. "You are correct. However I feel that though I may be more physically comfortable without the bindings, I believe that I will be more emotionally comfortable with them."

Her grandfather sighs, and reaches over to pull Naoto close, then places a kiss on the top of her head. "Do whatever you think is best. Just know that you are always safe to be yourself with those who care about you."

With that said, he stands up and walks out the door. Naoto looks back over to the mirror, before picking up her chest wrap. She bites her lower lip in thought before she unbuttons her shirt so that she can wrap her chest.

AN: what will happen at the dinner party? Well you'll just have to wait. I'm evil like that. I hope everyone is enjoying reading my fic, eventhough I take forever to write chapters. Remember comments make me smile, and motivate me to write faster.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's notes: Sorry for the wait. I hope you all will forgive me seeing as this chapter is twice as long as most of the previous ones. Please enjoy and review. I always smile when I see I got a review.

Chapter 10

It seemed as if Kanji couldn't sit still the whole ride to Naoto's house. Every few moments he would re-adjust his seat belt, or cross then uncross his legs. At one point he started to tap his fingers on his knee against the unfamiliar fabric of his dress pants.

Tatsumi-san smiles and reaches over and grabs Kanji's hand. "Sweetie, just relax."

"I am relaxed…. What makes you think I'm not relaxed?"

His mother smiles and pats the back of Kanji's hand. "Just be yourself. No need to be nervous, Naoto-san is already your friend. You don't need to impress her."

"I'm not trying to impress anyone!"

"Really?" His mother says, raising her eyebrows.

Kanji looks away from his mother and runs his hand through his hair. "Maybe, just a little."

She just smiles at her son then looks out the window. "Oh my," She says, as they pull up to a tall iron gate. The driver rolls down his window and punches in the security code and the gate swings open. "I knew your friend was rich, but I didn't realize how rich." She whispers to her son.

Kanji swallows the knot in his throat, "Me either."

Upstairs Naoto re-buttons her shirt and flattens it out across her front. She hadn't wrapped her chest as tight as she usually does, so she is able to breathe easier, yet that also means that she still has a feminine curve to her. Sighing Naoto went to her closet and pulled out her winter jacket that she often wore. Pulling the dark fabric on over her shirt she looked back into the mirror. _Much better_, she thought. She then buttoned up just two of the middle buttons, just enough to help hide her figure. She glances once more at her hat sitting on her dresser next to the bear Kanji had made for her. She looks back at the mirror, fiddles with the headband once more before turning and walking out of her room.

As she is heading down the stairs she hears her Grandfather greeting Kanji and his mother. As she turns the corner she stops short. Kanji isn't wearing his normal clothes. In fact she has never seen him wear anything so formal. She shakes her head and then walks the few paces to stand near her grandfather.

"If you let Jin take your coats," He says. "I'll show you the way to the library for a bit before we eat." Her grandfather turns and sees Naoto. "There you are. Why are you wearing your coat? It is warm enough. Jin, take Naoto's coat while you're at it."

"That won't be necessary." Naoto protests, "I'm fine."

Her grandfather waves her protests away. "Don't be ridiculous, if you're cold I'll just have them turn the heat up a bit."

With reluctance Naoto lets the butler take her coat to put away. Her grandfather seems oblivious to Naoto's blush and obvious discomfort as he leads Tatsumi-san towards the library. Naoto dares to glance up at Kanji. His face is flushed as well and he is looking at Naoto as if she has sprouted a second head. After catching Naoto's eye his blush deepens and he looks away, running his fingers threw his hair and following his mother.

Naoto follows a step behind Kanji, one of her her arms across her chest tugging at the sleeve of her other arm. Naoto can hear her Grandfather talking to Tatsumi-san about their new country estate with all the modern conveniences.

"Well, I uh…." Kanji starts to say, then glances down at Naoto only to look away again. "Well I think you know…. You look nice….Not to say you don't look nice all the time…. It's just…. Well you look pretty today."

"Thank you Kanji-kun." Naoto says, her blush deepening. "I'm trying out something new."

"Uh…. Yeah… it looks good." As they reach the library Kanji's jaw drops at the sight of all the books. "whoa, I didn't think anyone had this many book in their house."

Naoto smiles and looks around at the many bookshelves. "This library is nothing compared to the one at our main estate. This one is mostly leisure reading, classics, mysteries, and a few other topics. Not nearly as many reference volumes as we have at our other library."

"Quite right." Her grandfather says as he helps Tatsumi-san sit down next to an antique marble chess set. "This place was built as a retreat for our family in-between cases, a place to unwind. By the way, it is your move, my dear." He says, pointing to the table with the chess set.

Naoto smiles, and puts her hands behind her back as she studies the game board; her mind now totally on how to solve the puzzle before her. She moves her black knight and looks up at her grandfather. "Check!"

A grin spreads across the old man's face, "You are getting better." He reaches down and moves his bishop from all the way across the board to take her knight. "But you still have yet to beat me. Checkmate."

Startled, Naoto looks down at the game to find that indeed her king is in checkmate. She looks back up at her grandfather. "Good game." She says with a nod.

Shirogane-san looks over at Kanji's mother. "Do either of you play?"

Tatsumi-san smiles, "I learned how to years ago, but I was never any good at it. I don't think Kanji-kun knows how."

Kanji shakes his head. "Naw, I ain't never played."

Shirogane-san raises his eyebrow. "Well perhaps then I can show Tatsumi-san around until dinner is ready, and you can show Kanji-san some of your favorite books, or maybe show him how to play."

Naoto opens her mouth to protest this idea, only to have her grandfather wave her objections aside and take Tatsumi-san by the hand and lead her out of the room.

"Well, uh…." Kanji says, rubbing the back of his head and looking around the library. "I can sure try playing, but don't know how good I'd be."

Naoto smiles weakly up at Kanji as she sets up the game board. "You'll never know unless you try."

Kanji shrugs, and sits down across from Naoto. "Well how do ya play?"

After Naoto explained the basic rules and how each piece moves they started. After ten minutes Kanji was rubbing the back of his neck in frustration and muttering under his breath. Naoto smiles up at him and says. "You know we don't have to play chess. This game isn't for everyone."

"Yeah, well I understand all the rules and what not. I can even see how I could get your king, but then ya go and move one of your guys and it messes my whole idea up." Kanji sighs, and puts his head down. "I guess I'm just not smart enough."

"I would disagree. It has nothing to do with being smart enough. I'm smart, but I've never been able to beat my grandfather."

Kanji lifts his head to look up at her. "Really? If you always lose, why do you keep playing?"

"Because sometimes the fun isn't in winning, I have fun trying to solve the puzzle. Plus there is always the chance that I may be able to trick grandfather and win."

"Yeah I guess." Kanji shrugs.

"You know, you are doing well for someone who just learned the game today. If you played with someone who also just started you may surprise yourself at how well you do."

Kanji shrugs again. "I 'dunno."

As Kanji reaches up to move his rook the door opens and in comes Naoto's grandfather leading Tatsumi-san. "And here we are back at the Library."

"Did you enjoy your tour Tatsumi-san?" Naoto asks.

"Yes, you have quite a place here. Kanji and I aren't use to so many western conveniences. I am nearly overwhelmed."

Naoto smiles and stand up to let Tatsumi-san have her chair. "I hope that Grandfather didn't talk too much. He has a habit of just talking and talking."

"Oh Shirogane-san is a perfect gentlemen and a wonderful host. How about you two? Did you enjoy your chess game?"

"I did," Naoto says. "But I think Kanji-kun has just gotten frustrated."

Naoto looks over at Kanji who is once again absorbed in the game. He reaches over and touches one piece as if to move it, yet pulls his hand back to touch another piece, changing his mind several times. Shirogane-san points to one of the pieces that Kanji has been debating between. "I think you should move that one."

Kanji looks up at Shirogane-san and then back to the board before moving the piece. "Thanks."

"No trouble at all."

Just as Naoto starts to study the board the butler opens the door. "Dinner is served."

"Well then, right this way." Shirogane-san says, ushering in his guests through the doorway. "I do hope that you'll enjoy what my chef has prepared this evening."

"I'm sure it will be wonderful." Tatsumi-san says.

When they got to the western style table Kanji was proud of his restraint, he didn't just plop down in a chair and start shoveling food into his mouth, as he would at home. He waited till his mom was sitting before sitting down next to her. The table was full of food, spring rolls, gyozas, sushi rolls, tempura veggies, udon noodles, teriyaki beef and more. Kanji's mouth was watering. He only just barely remembered his manners and started to eat, at a painfully slow pace according to him.

"Oh my this is so much," Kanji heard his mother say.

Shirogane-san just waves aside her protests, insisting it is his pleasure. They continue with the small talk as they eat, which Kanji ignores, trying to enjoy his food, but not to eat 'like a wild animal' as he has been accused of doing in the past. He glances up at Naoto every once in a while. She only seems to be picking at her food, and listening to the small talk that Tatsumi-san and Shirogane-san seem to have going. But Kanji's attention suddenly focuses on his mother when he hears his name.

"Oh when Kanji-chan was little he would always hang around my workroom and play with all my left over fabric."

"MAA…" Kanji says, trying to get her to stop.

"In fact when he was five or six he managed to make-"

"MA!"

"Kanji-chan, don't interrupt, it's rude. Well he made a blanket from left over fabric for me for Mother's day. It was beautiful."

"Dang it ma!" Kanji complains, trying to hide behind his hand, or sink into the floor, or anything.

"It was mismatched colors, uneven and crooked stitching, yet it is one of my most treasured gifts. I still have it tucked away in a drawer."

"Mom, please stop…." Kanji whispers to her urgently.

"That reminds me of Naoto-kun when she was little," Shirogane-san starts to say.

Suddenly Kanji is listening, very interested in what is being said. Naoto however has a blush across her face and is trying to whisper to her grandfather to get him to stop.

"…she made several little tools that would be very useful for an ace detective. They were quite clever. She made a knife that is really a radio, a pen that also has a mini telescope on it and she even modified her wrist watch. She has always been good with trinkets."

"Grandfather, I really think that is enough." Naoto says.

Yet he acts as if he did not hear Naoto's plea, and continues. "She has always known that she wanted to continue our family and become the next great Shirogane detective."

"Oh yes," Kanji's mother says. "Our shop has been going for generations. I think Kanji-chan knows everything he needs to in order to take it over. He just needs to quit scarring the customers."

"Ma!" Kanji complains.

"It's true dear," She says, patting Kanji's hand. "You went through our inventory last month and did all the reordering from our suppliers."

Kanji looks down at his plate, suddenly feeling sick. He looks across the table at Naoto, who is blushing, yet still trying to stop her Grandfather from talking.

"Well of course Naoto-kun is already taking on cases by herself. Many still disregard her theories due to her youth, but in the end they are almost always the ones who are mistaken. She has even been able to pass all the national tests for school, even though she spends most of her time working on mysteries with me, or on her own."

Tatsumi-san nods. "Since Kanji has become friends with Naoto-kun and the other kids he has been doing much better in school. I always knew he'd do well if he applied himself."

"Please ma…..no…." Kanji whispers. _Bragging about my school work ain't gunna get ya much_... Kanji thinks.

"Tatsumi-san!" Naoto says, "How is your shop doing? I know that many of the stores in the shopping district went out of business when Junes came to town." Naoto smiles across at Kanji, thinking that she has gotten onto a safe topic of conversation.

"We are doing well. For a while I was afraid we might not be able to keep the shop open, but lately we've been doing much better. People have realized that they can't get the quality from Junes that they get from our store. Plus since Kanji-chan has been making animal dolls for our shop, sells have gone up quite a lot."

Kanji sighs in defeat, and looks down at his plate, a blush across his cheeks. He starts picking at his meal again, glancing up at Naoto and her grandfather every once in a while. The adults went from topic to topic, hardly stopping to eat. _At least they've stopped talking about us._ Kanji thinks. As far as Kanji could tell they moved onto the economics of a small town. Not that he was really paying much attention.

He glanced over at Naoto. She seemed to be listening to the conversation, yet he could tell from the way she kept readjusting her seat, and reaching for her hat, which wasn't there, that she was uncomfortable, and not into the conversation. Now that he started to look at her, he couldn't pull his eyes away. She always looked wonderful to his eyes. Somehow she looked more….. well… more like a girl today. Maybe it was the hairband. His eye's glance down her frame and he notices that she seems to have more…. Curves. He blushes slightly, then when his eyes trail up to her face once more he realizes that she is now looking at him. His blush deepens and he looks at his plate.

Naoto clears her throat and Kanji is sure he is going to be yelled at. However Naoto says. "Grandfather would it be alright with you if Kanji-kun and I go into the other room."

"Of course that is fine my dear." He says, with a vague wave of his hand.

Naoto stands and heads out of the room, Kanji fallows, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the floor. _At least she isn't going to yell at me in front of everyone_. Kanji can't help but think. He keeps his eyes on her shoes in front of him, not noticing where they are going. He startles to a halt when Naoto starts to go up the stairs. He glances up, only to see Naoto's backside bounce slightly as she climbs the stairs. Kanji's face turns crimson and he looks back down at the stairs. He holds onto the handrail for support and follows Naoto up the stairs. "Uh…. So….. uh….. Where are we going?"

"To my drawing room."

"huh?"

Kanji follows Naoto to a small room with a couch, a few armchairs, a coffee table and a few bookshelves. "I'm sorry I should have asked if you were finished eating."

"I'm…. Uh… I'm full." Kanji says. _My stomach is so full of butterflies I couldn't eat another bite_. He can't help but think.

Naoto nods and points to the group of armchairs. "Have a seat, I'll be back in a moment." She walks through a door opposite the one they came in and shuts the door firmly behind her.

Kanji sits on the edge one of the armchairs, and starts to twiddle his thumbs and wonder if Naoto is mad at him. He doesn't have to wait long before Naoto comes back out, wearing her hat and her school jacket. She finishes buttoning up her jacket as she walks through the door, then looks up at Kanji, with a small smile.

"I figured you were just as uncomfortable down there as I was." She says, sitting down in an armchair.

Kanji sits back into his chair, feeling slightly better. "Uh… Yeah. I hate when Ma starts talk about when I was little."

Naoto smiles, "I totally understand. They may start talking about us again, but at least now we don't have to listen to it."

Kanji smiles over at Naoto. Seeing her back in her usual clothes is oddly comforting to him. She also seems much more at ease now that she is wearing her signature hat again. "So uh…." Kanji says. "What have you been up to?"

"I have been going over the file on the murder/kidnapping case, helping the police build a case against Adachi. We cannot get any of the kidnappings charges to stick on him, even though he influenced Namatame into doing so. However with the double homicide we can be sure he will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison."

"Well…. That's good….. I mean Namatame thought he was doing the right thing when he kidnapped us all. But what I meant was… I was meaning….. what have you been doing for fun?"

"For fun? I usually read in my leisure time, but that can be time consuming. Plus I haven't found any mystery novels that have interested me lately, at least ones I haven't already read. That's the thing about liking the classics I suppose. After you read all of them, there won't be any new ones that come out."

Kanji shrugs, "Yeah I guess."

"Do you read much?"

"Naw, I read some manga, and magazines, but I ain't been much for reading."

Naoto nods. "I see. So how did you get started making the stuffed animals?"

Kanji runs his hand through the back of his hair. "Well I uh…. This kid was crying by the river, cuz he had lost some girl's toy bunny. I tried to help him find it, when we couldn't, I… sorta told him I'd make him one. Then his mom wanted one, and the girl's mom wanted one and their school teacher. Before I knew it I was taking orders for all kinds of animals. And well…. Yeah. At first I didn't want people to know I was making them, but once word got around people started to come to the shop asking to get one."

Naoto smiles, "That was really sweet of you."

Kanji blushes and looks away. "Well I uh…. Hate to see a kid cry….ya know….Plus he uh….Well the kid kinda… well he reminded me of when I was little."

"How so?"

"Well…. I uh…. You don't really wanna hear me talk about when I was a kid do ya? I mean if you wanna hear stories about when I was a kid we could always go back down stairs and listen to my ma…."

Naoto smiles a small smile and takes a deep breath. "Kanji-kun, I want to get to know you better. I want to understand you. Quite frankly you are somewhat of a puzzle to me. You are very talented, yet very few people know it. You have a reputation for being a thug, and you often dress and act that way. Yet I have seen you do some really nice things for others. I know you better than most people, however I still feel as if I don't really know you."

"I uh…" Kanji stands and looks away from Naoto and rubs the back of his neck. "Well I… I uh…. I really don't know what to say."

"How about you answer me this? Why the over embellished tough-guy façade?"

"Say what?" Kanji asks, turning back around.

"Why did you start bleaching your hair, and acting like a thug?"

"Oh… that…. Well when I was…. Younger… I uh…. Well when kids found out that I liked to sew and whatnot…. I got made fun of. So I uh…. Well I sorta… I figured if they were afraid of me then they wouldn't make fun of me anymore."

"I see. I suppose you could say we are similar in that fashion."

"What do ya mean?"

"You were afraid of how people would react to your interests not fitting your gender type role. So you pushed people away and hid your talent. I was also afraid of the same thing, so I also pushed people away and hid who I was." Naoto looks down and smiles slightly. "Who would have thought we'd have something like that in common?"

Kanji shrugs and sits back down, in the chair next to Naoto. "Yeah… I guess we both just… you know… don't want to be judged by what other people think we should do."

Naoto nods. "That is quiet true."

"Ya know, I've been talking to Senpai a lot lately. About this kinda stuff… and what all. I made two rules for myself. I haven't been the best at keeping em though."

"What would those rules be?"

"Rule one: Be myself. Rule two: Get people to understand….. sounds simple, yet I kinda end up falling into old habits. Telling people to 'get bent' if they don't understand me, or whatever."

Naoto nods. "I'm glad to hear that you're progressing. I also can understand how hard it is to break a habit." Naoto looks down at her lap and tugs at her jacket. A knock sounds from the door and they both look up. "Yes?" Naoto calls.

Her grandfather peaks his head into the room before pushing the door open further. "Ah, here you are? Tatsumi-san said that she needs to be getting back now. Kanji-san, you are welcome to stay longer if you wish."

Kanji stands and rubs the back of his neck. "Naw, I wouldn't wanna be trouble or anything."

"No trouble at all." Shirogane-san insists.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening." Tatsumi-san says, as they start to parade down the stairs.

"Our pleasure, we don't get too many visitors, so it is fun to have people come over, who don't want us to solve a mystery of some sort."

Kanji and Naoto follow down the stairs; Kanji keeping his eyes on the floor, while Naoto glances around. "I uh….. suppose I'll see ya later." Kanji manages to say, as he pulls on his coat.

Naoto just nods.

"So I uh….. I'll….uh…. Call ya later."

"Alright. Farewell Kanji-kun."

With the pleasantries over, Kanji and his mother get back into the car. Naoto watches a moment as they drive away before turning to go back into her warm house. After she closes the door she turns to see her Grandfather grinning down at her. "That went well." She says, before walking past him.

"How about we go to the library?"

"Alright." Naoto says, turning to head to the big room.

"I think that I will take over Kanji-san's pieces in your chess game. I want to see how well you do." the older man remarks, sitting down at the table with the chess board.

Naoto nods, moving a piece as she sits down. "Want to try a new challenge?"

"Maybe." He says, moving one of his pieces. "Over my years as a detective I've come to realize that there is more to people than meets the eye."

"Is that so?" Naoto says studying the board for a moment before moving her piece.

"I've glanced over the Inaba file you've put together. Several individuals in this case were not as they first appeared."

Naoto nods, "Yes, Namatame's and Adachi's involvement in this case came as quiet a surprise."

Her grandfather looks across the board with a knowing smile and silently moves a piece. "Logical thinking, and planning ahead with the end result in mind is needed for many seemingly ordinary tasks."

Naoto looks up from the board, confused as to where this conversation is going. She moves her piece. "Yes, that is true."

"Such as in chess, and sewing." He moves a piece. "Checkmate."

Naoto looks down at the board in shock. "Huh?"

"Your friend set up the pieces pretty well, especially for a beginner. I think there is a lot more to that young man than meets the eye." Shirogane-san says leaving the room, with Naoto looking down at the chess board in shock.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Notes: I'd like to thank everyone for reading. I want to also shout out to those who are leaving comments as Anonymous or have disabled their PM. Thanks for the comments and Favs. It always makes me smile when I get a new comment or someone new favs my story. This is a shorter chapter, but the next one is going to be LONG. I hope everyone enjoys and keeps reading.

Chapter 11

When Kanji got home his mom heads straight into her workroom, while Kanji falls face first onto his futon with a grunt. Even though it's still early Kanji feels like he could just fall asleep now, mentally and emotionally exhausted from the visit with Naoto. Not to say that he had a 'bad' time, but tiring.

Kanji rolls over to his back and looks up at the celling, trying to think of what they could do for their second date. If you could call it that. Was today their first date even? Wherever they went Kanji was sure he didn't want to run into any one that might know them. Kanji didn't want to risk running into Yosuke or anyone else that might tease them or just give them grief about going out… So that practically ruled out all of Inaba. Maybe Okina City, that wasn't too far, but it made it less likely that they would run into anyone that they knew. Kanji heads down stairs to the computer. Maybe they could watch a movie together. Kanji has no clue what is even playing. He drums his fingers on the desk as the computer warms up, then types in the address of the movie theater. What first draws his attention is the bold letters "New Year's Special showing!"

"That's right," Kanji mutters. "New Years is in just a few days."

Kanji types and manages to get to the Okina City web page. The words "New Year's Eve Festival" are proclaimed in large bold letters. Booths, games, food, fortunes, New Year's charms; a smile spreads across Kanji's face.

On the morning of the 30th as Naoto is just finishing her breakfast her phone beeps saying that she has received a text.

To: Naoto Shirogane

From: Kanji Tatsumi

Would U want 2 go 2 the New Year's Eve festival in Okina w/ me?

"Who is that from?" Her grandfather asks, looking over his newspaper.

"It's from Kanji Tatsumi. He has invited me to the New Year's Eve Festival in Okina city." Naoto says, pocketing her phone.

"That sounds like fun." The old man says, returning to his paper.

"I suppose," Naoto shrugs.

"Will you go with him?"

"I guess so." Naoto says, pushing around that last bits of oatmeal in her bowl with her spoon.

Her grandfather folds his paper and sets it down next to his dirty dishes. "Tell me what's going through your mind."

Naoto sets down her spoon and leans back in her chair. "I've deduced that Kanji-kun likes me romantically."

Her grandfather nods. "I could tell."

"Having never had any kind of relationship before I told him that I would be willing to spend more time with him, and see if my feelings for him may develop into something more than just friendship. But somehow I think I may be leading him on. I'm just not sure what to do. I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I feel like I don't know him well enough to know if I could have feelings for him."

"Well, that is a bit of a pickle. So does he know that you currently don't have any romantic feelings for him?"

"I believe I stated it quite clearly to him."

"It sounds like to me that spending time with him wouldn't be a bad thing. Yet you should be aware of his feelings. If you feel that he is being overly affectionate, you need to let him know that you're not ready for that. You may have to be blunt; boys that age don't take hints well. I think no matter how this ends up it will be good for you."

Naoto looks up, one eyebrow raised, "Good for me, how so?"

"You haven't had much of a chance to socialize with kids your age. Part of that is my fault. Giving you private tutors and taking you along with me from place to place. I think it is a very good thing that you've found a place for yourself here. I think a little High school romance may help you connect more with the young people your age. Get you to understand and sympathize."

"What if I end up hurting his feelings?"

"That is always a risk. But after the pain and hurt feelings subside you both will be better for your experiences. Don't let your fear of getting hurt stop you from living your life. "

"Wise advice as always," Naoto says, with a shy smile. "I think I will go with Kanji-kun."

Her grandfather nods and smiles before he once again picking up his paper and begins to read.

Kanji has been pacing in his room ever since he sent the text inviting Naoto to the New Year's Festival. He hates sending texts. It takes forever to type one up, they can get lost, plus the endless waiting for a reply. Yet he didn't feel like he could trust himself to talk to Naoto. Would he stutter? Would he say something stupid? Would he babble? What if he was interrupting something? Would he even be able to talk? No for today texting was better. He just hated the waiting for a reply. What felt like a small eternity later, his phone beeped to let him know that he had a new text.

To: Kanji Tatsumi

From: Naoto Shirogane

I would be happy to come with you to the festival. When do you want to go?

Kanji stared at his phone for a moment before a grin spread across his face. He carefully typed out a reply text.

To: Naoto Shirogane

From: Kanji Tatsumi

Meet U train station 10 am 2morrow Ok w/U?

The reply back was a lot faster this time.

To: Kanji Tatsumi

From: Naoto Shirogane

I'll see you there.

Kanji barely resisted the urge to jump up and down with glee. He had a date with Naoto. A REAL date this time, without parents wanting to tell embarrassing stories the whole time. What would they talk about? They had the whole train ride to…. Talk…. Once they got there they would have things to do, to look at….. but the train ride.

Almost before Kanji knew what he was doing he found himself walking down the shopping district. He looks at the armor display in front of Daidara Metal Works. All Kanji knows about is sewing, and fighting. His gaze wanders over to the bookstore next door. Naoto did say she liked to read. Kanji looks around, seeing no one that he knows he enters the bookstore.

Kanji prows into the back of the store, before he starts looking around. The store is crammed full of bookshelves it is hard to even turn around. He at lasts comes to a shelf with a small sign at the end saying "Mystery/Horror." Kanji pulls out a few books at random and looks at their covers. One is covered with a picture of blood with a dagger. The next book Kanji pulls out has an outline of a person and a gun.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" A man asks from behind Kanji, making him jump.

"I uh…" Kanji says, rubbing the back of his head. "Well…. I um….. What would be considered…. Uh… classic mystery?"

The man's face brightens and he reaches past Kanji to pull a book off the shelf. "Sherlock Homes, is considered to be the best detective of all time. Most people consider his mysteries to be the best ever written."

Kanji looks down at the large book that the man put into his hands. It has the picture of a guy with a weird hat and a pipe on the cover. The Complete Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. "Then who is this Conan Doyle guy?"

"Oh he is the author. Sherlock Homes is the character. "

"Oh ok…."

"Would you like to buy the book?"

"Uh….." Kanji lifted the heavy book and looked at the price on the back. "Maybe only one of his books."

The man smiles and pulls out a much smaller book and replaces the large one on the shelf. Kanji looks down at the smaller book titled Adventures of Sherlock Homes "Thanks."

The man sighs. "Would you like to purchase that book?"

"Uh…..yeah."

The man leads Kanji to the front where he rings up the book and hands it to Kanji in a small bag. "Come again."

Kanji looks at the ground as he exits the store, almost running over Yukiko. "Hey Kanji-kun!" She says. "What are you doing here?"

Kanji freezes. "Uh.. nothin'"

"So what book did you buy?" She asks, nodding toward the bag.

"I uh…." Kanji puts the bag behind his back. "Nothin'"

"Oookay. I'm getting a beginner's cookbook myself. I figured I could practice over winter break."

"Uh….yeah… good idea." Kanji starts to inch away from Yukiko. "Well I uh….. gotta go." He says before he turns around to sprint home. He has some reading to do before tomorrow.

Kanji would have gotten a lot farther into the book if he hadn't needed to stop every few lines to look up a word in the dictionary. Even then he couldn't understand half of what Sherlock was saying. After spending a whole afternoon reading Kanji only found out a few things.

One. Reading books with big words makes his head hurt. Two. Sherlock is an ass. He is way smart, but still an ass.

In the one chapter that Kanji managed to read he found that he was liking Watson a whole lot better than he was liking Sherlock. He had to wonder why Watson was even spending time with Sherlock in the first place. Kanji sighs as he puts out his futon for the night.

Sherlock was smart and noticed things that most people didn't, and found meaning behind small things. Watson seemed like an average guy, whom Sherlock had to stop and explain things to. Didn't hanging around Sherlock make Watson feel stupid? Yet Sherlock wanted Watson's help.

Kanji shook his head trying to get his mind to settle down so that he could go to sleep. He had a date in the morning.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Kanji arrived at the train station ten minutes early, just in case. He didn't want Naoto to end up waiting for him. He paces back and forth in front of the entrance before stopping to glance down at his phone. 9:53 am No new calls, or text. Kanji resumes his pacing. Kanji stops once more as the bus pulls up to the train station, and a line of people get off. The last off is Naoto. She is wearing a new argyle sweater vest and a new bright blue coat. Kanji does a quick double take before calling out to her.

"Hey Naoto-kun!" He yells waving.

Naoto nods and walks over to Kanji. "Good morning."

"Hi, I….uh..." Kanji says rubbing the back of his head. "I uh gotta text from Yosuke-sempai earlier today about meeting up at the temple for midnight. I uh…. Didn't know if you'd rather go there with everyone rather than just me."

"I see no reason we cannot do both." Naoto says. "We will simply return to Inaba before it is time to meet up with everyone else."

"Oh, ok…. Well I was thinking of buying your train ticket, but I thought you might already have a bus and train pass."

"You are correct. I do have a train pass, so there is no need for you to purchase a ticket for me."

"Oh…ok then. Our train should be here soon." Kanji says, heading up the stairs into the station.

As they stand on the train platform Kanji starts to fidget. Naoto glances over at him and sees his nervousness. "I would like to thank you for inviting me today."

"Uh…. Yeah…. Sure, not prob. You uh…. You look good in argyle."

"What?"

"Argyle." Kanji says, blushing. "It's that checker type pattern on your sweater. It looks good…on you."

"Yes I know what argyle is. Thank you. I was just surprised. That wasn't what I was expecting"

"Oh."

They stood in silence once more for a few minutes until the train pulled up and they got on. It wasn't crowed at all, due to the holiday. They managed to both get seats. Sometimes on busy days some trains end up standing room only and everyone ends up mashed together like a can of sardines. Luckily today wasn't one of those days. Kanji was even able to stretch out his legs when he sat down.

"So what have you been up to the last few days?" Naoto asks.

"Well…. I uh…. I've been making some more animals for people that wanted them. And been helpin' ma with the shop and what not. What about you?"

"Going over case files, reading, playing chess. You know after you left my house Grandfather took over playing with your chess pieces in the game that we had started."

"Oh yeah," Kanji says, shrugging.

"He then proceeded to win without much effort. He said that you had set up the pieces rather well."

Kanji just shakes his head. "Luck I guess. You know I uh….. I started reading a uh… book. I didn't get very far into it though."

"What book is that?"

"The Adventures of Sherlock Homes."

Naoto raises her eye brows. "Really! How did you like it?"

Kanji rubs the hair on the back of his neck. "Uh… Like I said, I didn't get very far into it. Though I was liking the Watson guy a lot more than Sherlock."

Naoto nods, "Several people are of that opinion; Watson does come across as the more likable. Sherlock is a genius, yet can come across as arrogant and rude."

"Yeah," Kanji says, nodding.

"So what else did you think of it?"

"Well, I uh…." Kanji blushes and looks down. "To tell the truth I uh….. I was having a hard time with it. I had to keep looking up words in the dictionary."

Naoto smiles slightly and nods. "Yes it can be a bit more advanced to read. It is hard to enjoy a novel when you are having to work at understanding the words. If you would like I could let you borrow some books that are easier to read. Sherlock Homes may not be the best to start off with for someone just starting into reading mysteries."

For the next twenty minutes Naoto talk about various novels and mysteries, with Kanji nodding and occasionally asking more about a certain book, or story. After Naoto stops to take a drink from the water bottle that Kanji had brought in his bag, she looks over at Kanji and realizes something. "I'm doing it again." She says.

"Doing what?" Kanji asks confused.

"I want to get to know you better, but I'm the one doing all the talking."

Kanji shrugs, "I don't mind. I like listening to you talk."

Naoto smiles, "Thank you. However I would like to hear more about you."

"Well…. I uh…." Kanji says, rubbing his neck. "Well there's not much to tell."

"Do you remember you father?"

"Yeah, some."

"How old were you when he died?"

"Twelve."

"I don't know which is better. To lose someone that you love and have the happy memories of them. Or to lose someone that you can't even remember, so you don't know what you are missing?"

Kanji shrugs. "I guess both are bad in different ways. Course both ways, you end up lonely."

"I suppose. I can't really recall my parents. I was still very young. At times I'm not sure if I miss them, or if I'm just lonely."

"Could be both."

Naoto nods and looks down. "Maybe."

After a few moments of stiff silence Kanji speaks up. "So uh…. Did ya have pets growing up?"

"I told you about my grandfather's dog….. no wait, it was your mother I told." Kanji looks at Naoto slightly confused before she starts again. "My grandfather had this dog, named Yama. He was the sweetest. I would play with him all the time. He would often just sit at my feet while I read or played chess. How about you?"

"Naw, my parents wouldn't let me have a pet. They get fur all over the fabric and scratch it and what not. I would feed and play with the alley cats sometimes. Took them awhile to trust me, but I became friends with some of the neighborhood cats."

A silence falls and Naoto smiles over at Kanji, and he jumps in surprise. "What is it?"

"I just think that is a cute image. You trying to get alley cats to trust you."

Kanji blushes slightly and shrugs. "Guess so."

Naoto opens her mouth to speak, but closes it as the train comes to a halt at the platform. "Looks like we've arrived."

They both exit the train and head over to the stairs leading to the mall plaza. Even from the top of the stairs the noise from many many people can be heard. Once they are down the stairs, it looks like a sea of people. The shops are overflowing, with customers. The line for the movie marathon is stretching into the sidewalk. Booths have been set up selling all sorts of things, in every imaginable corner.

Kanji rubs the back of his neck, "Wow, I don't know if I've ever seen this many people at once before. "

"What would you like to do first?" Naoto asks.

"Uh…. You wanna just look around and see what they have?"

Naoto nods, and starts to weave her way through the sea of people towards the nearest booth, selling year of the Dragon fans, hats, cellphone charms, and other knickknacks. Naoto picks up a few of them to look at. One figure of Hello Kitty dressed in a dragon kimono peeks her interests. She holds it up and turns, but realizes that Kanji isn't behind her, but is still trying to work his way through the throng of people. After another few minutes Kanji is able to work his way over to where Naoto is standing.

"Sorry," He says, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just not use to having to push my way past a ton of people."

Naoto nods, "Yes, it can be difficult for someone who isn't use to it. I thought that you might find this… cute." She says, pointing to the Hello Kitty figure.

Kanji nods with a slight blush, "Yeah Hello Kitty is always cute."

After looking at the contents on the booth they decide to move on. Once again Naoto expertly weaves through the crowd arriving at the next booth much sooner than Kanji. This booth has artwork. Classic Japanese paintings are displayed, as well as photos of famous music groups, and idols, Rise included.

Naoto is looking at prints of classic ink paintings when Kanji catches up to her. "Sorry again." He says.

"Maybe we should consider doing something else to stay closer together." Naoto says, thinking.

"Well…. We could…. Uh well if you wanna….. You know so we don't lose one another…."

"What are you getting at Kanji-kun?"

Kanji looks down, his face bright red. "Well I was thinking….. We might not loose each other if we uh…. Well…. If we…."

"If we what?"

"Hold hands. You know just so we don't get lost in the crowd. Never mind it was a stupid idea." Kanji says in a rush, looking away, his cheeks red.

Naoto swallows the lump in her throat, and looks down at the ground, her face starting to pink up as well. "That actually is a good idea."

Kanji's head whips around and he looks at Naoto with surprise. "Really?"

"But only for practicality sake." Naoto says, holding out her hand.

"Of course!" Kanji says gently griping Naoto's small hand.

Kanji doesn't notice where they are headed. His mind is racing. All he can seem to think about is the fact that Naoto is holding his hand. Her hand is so soft, like silk. He holds on, for fear that she might let go. He doesn't see what is in the few passing booths, he only sees Naoto's smiling, and blushing face as she leads them through the crowd of people.

"Huh, what?" Kanji asks, realizing that Naoto is talking to him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to stop for lunch." Naoto says, nodding towards the food venders.

"Sure, what would you like?"

"Most anything would be fine by me." Naoto says.

"How about I get us some beef bowls? Why don't you find us a place to sit and I'll get the food?" Kanji suggests.

Naoto nods, "good idea." She says, loosing her grip and letting her hand slip out of Kanji's.

For a moment Kanji looks down at his empty hand. It felt so good to hold Naoto's hand. _My hand feels lonely now. _He can't help but think. He shakes off the thought, and gets in line to order their food.

It took a lot longer to get their food than Kanji had imagined. He walks away from the food vender holding three Styrofoam containers stacked upon one another, and two water bottles under his arm. He takes several steps toward the rows of table, then stops and looks around. He can't see Naoto anywhere. His eyes glance over the throng around the tables once more, but he can't see her.

_What if she left?_ He can't help but worry. _That must be it. She left me. I shouldn't have asked to hold her hand. She probably isn't having any fun, so she just went home without me. _

Just as he is about to start panicking he sees a small hand waving a blue hat back and forth, above a few people's heads. Kanji makes his way toward the hat, once he is close enough, he can see that it is Naoto, waving her hat. He sighs in relief and makes his way over to the table she is standing by.

"I'm glad you were able to see my hat." She says, sitting down. "I could see you, but it was obvious that you couldn't see me."

Kanji sets down the food and water bottles. "I got us both beef bowls and an order of gyoza to share."

"Sounds good to me." Naoto says, sitting down next to Kanji.

"So uh….. what else you wanna do while we're here?"

"I believe there is a small shrine set up somewhere. We could make our new year's wishes and pull out fortunes."

Kanji nods. "Yeah sounds good."

Conversation lags while they both enjoy their food. "So ah, you having ah…. A good time?" Kanji asks, between slurping his noodles.

Naoto nods and licks her lips. "Yes, it has been quite a few years since I went to any kind of festival. However, I must admit I am not fond of crowds."

Kanji nods and swallows his food. "Yeah me neither. I didn't think it would be this packed."

After they both finished eating and thrown their trash away, they headed towards the shrine. Naoto lead the way, with her hand trailing behind, holding on to a blissful Kanji. As they neared the shrine the crowd became thinner, Naoto drops Kanji's hand. Kanji morns the loss for a moment before walking up next to her.

"So uh….. ya wanna make a new year's wish?"

Naoto nods, and steps up to the offering box. She drops a few coins then bows her head in a silent prayer. Kanji does the same, but keeps glancing over at Naoto, to make sure the he doesn't take too long. After she finishes he closes his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again_. I doubt that I even made any sense, but it doesn't really matter._ Kanji thinks, shrugging and following Naoto over to the fortune box.

Naoto reaches in and pulls out a slip of paper. Her brows raise as she reads it. "What is it?" Kanji asks.

"It says I will have bad luck."

"That sucks."

Naoto shrugs, "It is only superstition. I doubt it will come true."

Kanji reaches in, then reads his aloud. "You will have fair luck in the coming year."

Naoto nods, then moves over to make way for other people who wish to draw fortunes. "It seems that you will have better luck then me."

Kanji shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets. "Just superstition, like ya said."

Naoto glances around the small shrine area that has been set up for the holiday. "Shall we see what the monks have for sale as well."

Naoto glances across the trinkets and charms that the monks have on their table. _You can buy a charm for almost anything_. She thinks as she looks at them. Good luck with money, school, love, health, business, or just general good luck. Naoto steps away from the booth and is down a few paces before she notices that Kanji has stopped. He is handing money to the monk behind the table, the monk then hands a small plastic bag to Kanji, which he folds and puts into his jacket pocket before he catches up to Naoto.

"What did you buy?"

"I uh…. I got a few charms, for uh…my mom."

Naoto glances over at Kanji with a skeptical look on her face. "I see. Where shall we head to next?"

"I uh…. I think they have a stage set up somewhere. They were going to do stuff….. like Karate demos, and people doing Tyko drumming and what not."

Naoto points "I believe it is over there." With a slight blush she reaches down to grab Kanji's hand once more, as they head back into the thicker crowds.

As they sit watching the people in traditional Japanese outfits play music. Kanji glances over at Naoto. Her hands are resting in her lap, as she watches the musicians. Kanji can't help but want to reach over and grab one of her hands. Holding hands with her has been like a little piece of Heaven. Even if it is only so that they don't lose one another in the crowd. Just as Kanji is about to reach over Naoto rubs her hands together then places them between her thighs to warm up. Kanji blushes and puts his hand back into his own pocket.

"Ya know, if you're cold, we could just head back."

Naoto nods, and thinks a moment before answering. "That may be advisable. We could warm up before we have to meet with the rest of the group later for the midnight count down."

With that thought in mind the both stand up from their chairs and head towards the train station. As they near the crowd, Kanji reaches over and grabs hold of Naoto's hand. She looks up at him, with a slight blush, then looks away and starts to lead them towards their destination.

Once at the train station Naoto lets Kanji's hand fall once more. Kanji tries not to let the disappointment show on his face. They make their way to the platform, and sit down on the uncomfortable metal bench provided. Kanji squirms in his seat. "Do you know when the next train is?"

Naoto points to the large display screen off to one side. "It looks like we have to wait for 15 to 20 minutes."

"Oh," Kanji says, looking down with a blush. "I never really been to this station. I usually rode my bike to get here."

"You have a motorbike?"

"No, not a motorcycle. A regular bike. I'm not old enough to get one, or even a scooter, like everyone else. Not that it matters. I can keep up with Yosuke, and Sempai even on my bike…. Well most of the time."

"Be able to ride here on a bicycle is quite a feat. It takes nearly thirty minutes to get here by train."

Kanji just shrugs. Time ticks on and they both readjust their positions on the hard bench as they try to think of topics of conversation. "I have a question Kanji." Naoto says.

"Yeah," Kanji says.

"I was just wondering, how long have you had a crush on me?"

Kanji face reddens and he starts rubbing the back of his neck while looking at the ground. "uh well…. I kinda… well…sinceImetyouinMay."

He said the last line so fast that for a moment she wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. But one word she did hear perfectly was "May." Her mind ran through all the facts at lightning speed, yet it still took her a moment to form a response. "But back then you thought….."

Kanji stands turns away from her. "Yeah, I know. It's sorta complicated. I er…. Well…"

"So then are you gay, or bi-sexual?" Naoto asks, then covers her mouth, blush filling her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask that."

"Well…. No….. I don't know." Kanji punches a nearby post to let off some frustration before continuing at a whisper. "I was sorta hopin' that you wouldn't ask for a while."

Naoto stands up turns away, so that she isn't looking towards Kanji and takes a step away. "If you would rather not talk about it." She says, even though she knows that she would rather get all the facts out of him now rather than later.

"Naw, I guess I gotta start and the beginning." Kanji says, rubbing the back of his head and taking a step closer to Naoto. "Sempai has been kinda bugging me that I should sorta clear the air withchya."

"So then…."

Before they could continue the train pulls up with a screech. They both climb aboard, without looking at each other. Naoto sits down, but Kanji stands nearby, even though there is plenty of room for him to sit. He holds onto one of the hanging straps as the train starts to move. Kanji is looking around the train. No one is close enough to likely overhear. Yet he still doesn't look like he is ready to talk.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize my question was going to make things so awkward." Naoto apologies. _Who would have thought that a simple inquiry about when he realized his feelings would lead to such an uncomfortable situation_? She thinks

Kanji sighs and sits down next to Naoto. He looks down at his hands, and starts to twiddle his thumbs as he starts to speak. "Well I've always been kinda different than other kids and what not. With the kind of shop my family owns I learned how to sew really early. But I guess you already know that.

"Well… uh… when I was in grade school this girl's backpack broke. I guess I kinda liked her or something. So ...uh…I pulled out the sewing kit I had in my bag and fixed it for her. Well then all the kids started to make fun of me. 'Kanji is a girly boy he sews'…. 'You like to sew that's so gay'…. And on and on like that.

"My dad was…ah… well… he was already sick at that point, so I didn't want to bother my parents with my problems, so I… uh… just tried to fix it myself. By making everyone around me too scared to say anything. After a while everyone forgot that I like to sew and were now only talking about me being a punk, and a delinquent and all that shit. My dad dying didn't help things, I tried to 'be a man' and show everyone that I was tough.

"So… Uh…. I kinda never went through that 'faze' where guys are always talking and thinking about girls. Cuz girls were the worst making fun of me. It's not like I was kissing on boys or anything…..I just never really thought about much it at all. But not long before you came around I got to thinking what if I never started to like girls. But I kept pushing that aside, cuz I couldn't handle it. Then you came around and said stuff like. "I'm interested in talking to you." And "I want to spend time with you after school." Then I really didn't know what to think, or what you were meaning. I wasn't sure if it was like a date or whatnot. Plus, your face was so pretty I guess I couldn't think straight."

"Pretty?!" Naoto asks, raising her eyebrows her face turning red.

Kanji just shrugs, still looking at his hands his face turning red. "Yeah, I always thought you looked pretty. Well maybe pretty isn't the right word, not pretty like dresses and lace, but attractive. I really just like looking at you."

Naoto's face turns bright red and she looks away.

Kanji swallows the lump in his throat and continues. "Well anyways….. I uh… not long after that I got thrown into the TV. And of course my shadow came out. Took all those doubts I had and blew them WAY up. You really don't need the details of that. I'm sure you've heard enough jokes from Yosuke-sempai. But there was a few things that my shadow said, that stuck with me: "Will someone just accept me. I don't care who, just someone accept me for who I am."

"I think that's what got me to realize that my shadow was part of me. I wanted to be accepted, but was too afraid to let anyone get close enough, so for years I just pushed everyone away. Really stupid of me. I wanted to find someone to accept me, and to lov—C- C- Care about me. I think that's what my shadow was really after. Took me a lot of time to figure all this shit out. Sempai helped me a lot.

"I'm not sure why I'm telling you all of this now. But anyways, you were asking if I was gay, or what…." Kanji swallows hard, looks down at his hands and if possible his face gets even redder. "Most anyone else who asks me that I'd yell at them and tell them 'hell no and get bent' or some other shit. But I have to admit to you. I liked you since I met you. I still like you. Boy or girl, I just guess it doesn't matter to me, as long as it's you. I don't know if that makes me gay or not. I ain't figured out that yet."

Naoto swallows the lump in her throat, "Thank you for being willing to tell me all of that."

Kanji just shrugs and continues to twiddle his thumbs, and occasionally rub the back of his neck and look around the train. Waiting for the axe to drop and end his misery.

"Though I do still have one question."

"Sh- shoot."

"When you say you were attracted to me from the start, are you talking about love at first sight kind of thing, or something else?"

"Well…. I ya….. You just interested me at first. I wanted to get to know you. You ah… well you were different from anyone I ever met before…. Most people shy away from me, but you… well you… just came right up to me and said what you wanted. You just got me thinking about different stuff. Then the more I got ta knows ya…. The more I realized I liked yas."

"Good." Naoto says.

Kanji looks up at her, startled by her response. She continued. "I don't believe in love at first sight if you had said that it was I would have been skeptical. You need to know someone before you can form an emotional connection to them. And after today I think I understand you a lot better. Thank you."

"So, uh… whatcha want to do now."

Naoto smiles. "Now- go home and get some rest. But later in the week maybe we should get together again."

Kanji's face lights up with hope. "Ya mean you still want to spend time with me."

Naoto smiles slightly and nods. "Yes."

A grin spreads across Kanji's face. He can hardly contain his enthusiasm. He wants to jump up and shout for joy, but he barely manages to restrain himself. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Though I do have one request."

"Anything, name it."

"Since I am still uncertain about my feelings towards you, would it be alright with you if we didn't inform the others that we are going out together."

Kanji smiles. "Yeah. In fact I was kinda wanting to keep it quiet too. I've heard enough of Yosuke-sempai's jokes to last a lifetime."

Naoto nods. "Yes, and I highly doubt Rise-chan or Teddie could keep such a secret. They tend to repeat any relationship gossip they hear."

"But um…." Kanji rubs the back of his neck with worry. "I kinda talked about it with Souji-sempai. I was askin' him for advice and what not."

"I trust Sempai won't mention it. Though I may call him later today and make sure."

Kanji nods, leans back, and puts his hands in his pockets. Relaxing for the first time since they got onto the train. His fingers brush against the plastic bag in his pocket. He fingers it for a moment before pulling it out, and removing one of the charms inside, then putting the rest in his pocket. "I uh…." He says, holding the charm in his hand. "Even though we are done going into the TV and all that shit…. I uh…."

Naoto looks over at Kanji. Confused for the moment. She is unable to read what the charm in Kanji's hand is for. "I thought you bought that charm for your mother."

"I did buy one for her. But I uh…. I got one for you too." He hands her the charm. "I know it's just superstition and whatnot, but well…. Yeah."

Naoto looks over the charm that Kanji hands over to her. The charm reads "Protection." Such charms are normally giving to loved ones going overseas, or police officers, or firefighters.

"I didn't know if you'd be working on other cases, or whatnot. Or if you'd… well I… Just in case." Kanji continues to ramble on.

"Thank you." Naoto says. Stopping Kanji from continuing on. "This is very thoughtful of you."

"Naw," Kanji says, blushing and looking down at his feet. "It's nothin'. You're welcome."

They sit in a comfortable silence for the rest of the ride. As they are walking down the steps at the station Kanji gives Naoto a little wave. "So I'll see ya tonight."

Naoto nods. "Yes, see you then."

They head in opposite directions, but Kanji can't help but look over his shoulder at Naoto's retreating form.

Tatsumi-san hears her son thumping in through the side door and pokes her head out from the shop to see him. "How was your date?"

Kanji blushes. "Fine, ma! Here." He hands her the small plastic bag.

"Thank you dear. These mean a lot to me." She says, pulling out the charms for "Good Luck with Business" and "Good Health."

Kanji shrugs, "Pssssh. I get ya the same charms each year."

"Yes, but I know that you care."

Kanji rolls his eyes and heads up the stairs. Once he is in his room he pulls the last charm out of his pocket. "Good Luck with Romance." He sighs and sets it on his dresser before laying down for a nap.

Naoto pulls out her cell phone and dials Souji-sempai's number. "Hey Naoto-kun!" He answers after a few rings.

"Greetings, sempai."

"Are you planning on meeting up with everyone tonight?" He asks.

"Yes I am. But I would like to talk with you for a minute if you are free to do so."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if you would keep quiet about Kanji-kun and I going out together?"

Souji is silent for a moment, Naoto looks at her phone just to be sure that they weren't disconnected. "Is there some reason you don't want people to know?" He asks at last.

"Well…" Naoto swallows the lump in her throat before continuing. "I talked to Kanji about it, and we both agree we would rather keep our arrangement quiet until….. until I am more certain of my feelings."

"And just what is this 'arrangement' that you have with Kanji-kun."

Naoto clears her throat and glances around to see that no one is nearby. "I am uncertain if my feelings toward Kanji-kun are just friendship, or more, or may develop into more. So I suggested that we spend some time together just the two of us so that I could get to know him better and figure out my feelings toward him."

"I see…." Sempai clears his throat and Naoto hears noise over the phone as he is sitting down. "Naoto-kun, there is something about Kanji that I think you need to know. He is a tough guy. In battle he can just keep taking hits and just jump back up—"

"I am aware of that." Naoto says, interrupting him. "I have also seen him fight."

"However, the wrong words from you would crush him forever. One of his greatest fears is being rejected. Be careful in what you do and say. If you end up finding out you don't have feelings for him other than just friendship, you're going to have a hard time braking the news to him, without hurting his feelings."

Naoto had stopped walking and was looking down at her feet. "Thank you for telling me Sempai." She says, almost a whisper.

"Good luck Naoto, but be true to yourself. I'll see you later."

Author's Notes: Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Comments are much appreciated. It always makes me happy when I see people have left comments.


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